The City of New York vs The Louds
by The 21st Century Pendragon
Summary: It starts out as a fun-filled trip to New York City for the Loud children. But things go awry when one of them gets involved in a criminal conspiracy. Who among the Loud kids may be part? It's the Louds against Big Apple. (Partly based on a personal trip in the city.)
1. Chapter 1

Statue of Liberty. Times Square. Bagels. Empire State Building. Broadway. Subway trains. Brooklyn Bridge. Central Park. Pizza. Wall Street. Chrysler Building. Yellow taxis. Rockefeller Center. American Museum of Natural History. Water tanks. Washington Arch. Grand Central Station. Mets. MoMA. Hudson River. Knicks. Yankee Stadium. Harlem. Battery Park. Giants. Flatiron Building. Ellis Island. Hotdogs. The Bronx. Coney Island. New York cookies. They are just the tip of the iceberg on what the Louds think of when they word "New York City" comes to mind.

Their inquisitiveness of the bustling city remains stuck in their minds that they cannot help but dream of one day to set foot on the concrete jungle. Yet thanks to Leni's curiosity and some secret savings that they pile up (and fight over), the Louds justify their visit to the iconic city.

Packing their stuff they go. Lori loads up her luggage lightly, only guided from a blog about hacks for girl travelers. Leni has a hard time picking the right (identical turquoise tops) outfits to bring. Luna brings her electric guitar and secret harmonica. Luan squeezes in her comedic props, including Mr. Coconuts, in her small backpack. Lynn attempts to load her bag with wall-to-wall balls. Lucy retrieves a coffin-shaped suitcase. Lola gets antsy in assigning stuff for the trip. Lana searches for their house pets to bring them to their cages. Lisa perfects a highly sealed metal toolbox that transforms into a portable laboratory. And Lily just hugs her blanket and her giraffe during the preparation.

Lincoln meanwhile has his stuff prepared safe and sound. His load is pretty simple: change of clothes, Ace Savvy comics, his laptop, his walkie-talkie, nougat bars, a pencil and breath mints.

He then explains to the readers, "This is going to be exciting! Us, just us kids going to New York City! Together! Let me explain." Lincoln then sets up a slide projector as visual aids. "Lori had wanted to visit New York all her life. And so as us. So, she told mom and dad that if she excelled at school, they would allow us to take a vacation there. So, she had aced her classes throughout the year. I know. Shocker right? So here we are." His voice then shifts to curiosity. "But we haven't still figured out what Lori wanted to do in New York. Or the reason why New York City. It's anyone's guess. But anyway, WE'RE GOING TO NEW YORK CITY!"

Immediately, his dad knocks on the door. "Lincoln, are you still packing?"

"All done, dad!" Lincoln says to him.

Lynn Sr. then opens the door to his room to give him several favors. His aura is rather panicky. "All right son, you and your sisters are going to the biggest city of America. You don't know what could happen to you!"

"Dad, we have Lori's sponsors to guide us. You don't have to worry," Lincoln assures.

"Oh, I don't trust those college people. They say they come from Hangshai but they may come from Toronto Chinatown."

"It's Shanghai, dad. Don't worry, dad. They're nice. I actually met them in person. So you can leave it all to me."

"Good, because that's exactly what I have in mind." Lynn Sr. then takes out his bag and brings to him some essentials for the trip. "Here. These are the basic starters for any traveler in New York."

Lincoln enumerates the stuff that his dad gave him, "A corkscrew, a Swiss Army knife, a paper clip, a crumpled paper, a button, a coupon for Burpin' Burger (that is expired), a brooch and a token from the arcade." Just looking at that stuff raises an eyebrow for Lincoln Loud. "Dad, don't want to sound harsh but I don't think these stuff are useful. And I don't think they allow a corkscrew and a Swiss Army knife in the airport."

"I get your point," Lynn Sr. replies. "But please keep the Swiss Army knife, boy. You might not know when danger comes in your way."

"Dad, I think there may be better stuff than that."

Lynn Sr. then anxiously ponders what he can bestow to his son for his first trip away from adult supervision. He quickly gets an idea. "Here. Something really essential and stands through time."

Lincoln looks upon the aged gadget. "A…little thing?"

"It's a pager, Lincoln. A pager. It helped through my tough time in New York once. When I was a clueless hippie looking for a life in the big city, a friend offered me this wonderful device. Whenever I got in trouble, either an angry taxi driver or a foul pizza, I got this."

"I don't how is this useful, dad," Lincoln surmises, "I don't even know how to use it. Does it call or post something online?"

"You just press one of the four buttons whenever it beeps. Either you receive a call, record it, you reply back and you call the same people. Then, insert the numbers, left and right. And boom."

Lincoln is still puzzled with what his father gave him. "I still don't get it."

"You will, son. Just keep it, okay?"

"Fine. I will, dad," Lincoln reluctantly replies.

* * *

After few hustles before they leave the house, Mr. and Mrs. Loud take their children to the airport. The family patriarch takes charge in loading their luggage to the conveyor belt. Lana also helps with taking the cages that contain Charles, Cliff and Walt. As for Geo, Lily takes care of him in his hamster ball.

"It's bad we can't take you guys to the plane," Lana says. "But it'll take a few hours. Don't worry."

"I still don't get why we have to bring our pets with us," Lola raises her concern.

"There's such thing as emotional support pets, you know," Lana points out to her.

"Sorry ma'am. It is banned now," a guard says.

"What?!"

Leni loads herself with layer-by-layer winter clothing.

"Leni, we're not yet in New York and you already bundled yourself with layers of your winter outfit?" Lynn wonders.

"You'll never know when the plane might snow too," Leni cautiously says.

"That's plane crazy! Hahaha! Get it?" Luan jokes, leaving Leni and Lynn annoyed.

"But seriously guys, you might never know when to dress yourself for the perfect outfit of the day," Leni suggests to her sisters.

Meanwhile, a worried Rita Loud sternly prepares for Lucy, Lisa and Lily before they board the plane. "Alright, make sure you take your vitamins before you go to bed. You don't want flight sickness during your trip. Also, make sure you girls don't wander around the city by yourselves. It's very dangerous out there."

"Mother, I have been to symposiums and scientific community conventions across the continent. I think I know basic airborne transportation protocol," Lisa insists.

"But you have adults with you," Mrs. Loud says, "This is now by your own. And I don't want to neglect you."

"Well, you can tell that to Lily there," Lucy points to a crying Lily, whom Lynn Sr. tries to calm her down by placing the right pacifier to her mouth.

"Mommy's coming Lily. Just girls, be safe and don't there make any trouble." She then heads to comfort Lily.

Lisa afterwards shift focus to Lucy. "I have little knowledge about the culture in the city they consider as the Big Apple. Tell me the matters that could gauge my interest since you also expressed interest."

"I just said yes because of the macabre art show they're going to hold at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," Lucy monotonously answers.

"Hmmm contemporary artworks? That's a good start."

Finally, before she places her guitar together with the rest of the luggage, Luna expresses her interest in tracing the roots of her favorite rock idols, including Mick Swagger. She pulls out a photo album to help her retrace them. "Man, New York is a place where rock stars start. And Mick Swagger got so inspired by the bands in the CBGB that he wrote his first hit song there. I can't wait to see it!"

Abruptly, Mr. Loud overhears and shows up to her. "Here's your ticket, Luna. And just to give you a slightest tidbit about New York, if you see any of those people in the street, holding instruments and thinking that they are playing for the world, don't fall for it."

"I thought NYC is a musician's haven?" Luna responds.

"Oh, it is," Lynn Sr. answers. "And also nightmare."

As he walks away, Luna kind of grows skeptical about their trip.

"Alright Louds, you're ready for takeoff!" Lynn Sr. announces to his kids.

Before Lincoln heads with his sisters beyond the terminal, he spots Lori talking to someone on her phone. At an offset, it may seem to be a normal phone call. But the suspicious 11-year-old picks up buzzwords from her: "Continental", "John should be able to transact it", "I know they are wick…", "Must document their two dogs?", "He is a killer" and "Wait, where's that Russia place?"

Just from eavesdropping, Lincoln suspects there is something fishy about Lori and her intentions for the trip. He covers his mouth in panic, not wanting for his sister to catch him eavesdropping.

"Lincoln…Lincoln!" Clyde finally snaps him out to reality. "Are you okay, buddy?"

"Yeah…I am," Lincoln half-heartedly says.

"Well, I was going to give you this emergency response gear that I won from that hardware store." He then offers him a tube-like plastic box that contains the gear. "I didn't know what to do with it, so I think it's better that you used for this occasion." He then notices Lincoln kind of nervous. "You okay?"

"No, nothing," Lincoln hesitates. "Maybe it's the flight."

"Oh right, maybe as a first-timer in an airplane, you might need this." Clyde then offers him chewing gum.

"Gum?"

"To fight against turbulence. When you chew, you'll protect your ears from the harsh altitude. Also to calm your nerves."

"I guess you're right."

At that moment, the children say their goodbyes to their parents and Clyde before they head to the terminal and eventually to their plane. Mrs. Loud cannot help but shed tears as she lets go off her children unaccompanied.

Thirty minutes later, the Loud children get to their designated seats. Lincoln is paired with Lori and occupies the window seat, since she is holding Lily as well. The 11-year-old remains uneasy about Lori's suspicious call. Whatever is the reason behind, he hopes for the best as they land in JFK.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight of the Louds finally arrive in Terminal 2 of the John F. Kennedy International Airport. Presumably, they must have taken a flight either via Northeast Airlines or Northwest Airlines.

As they all cleared through customs, they soon rest on a nearby lounge. Lincoln is just amazed at the scale of the terminal they have arrived. He pulls out his phone and takes simple snapshots of the amenities of JFK. It is also to get busy away from his sisters, who are busy keeping all the airline souvenirs in one bag. Lana has been keeping fruit containers for the animals she plans to feed.

"Alright, do we have everyone here?" Lori asks.

"Yeah, I think so," Lincoln unsurely replies.

"Hey, where's our ride?" Lola complains. "I was searching with those guys on suits for our name. And I don't see anything for Lola Loud. I should deserve the VIP treatment."

"We can't literally afford that," Lori grunts. She then counts her siblings from the lounge. "Ten. Ten?! Who the heck is missing?"

"We always know that is Lucy," Lynn jokes about.

To no one's surprise but Lynn's, Lucy pops out at her right. "I'm right here."

Lynn loudly gasps. "Will you stop that?! You're like a gothic ninja for all I know!"

Lincoln then recognizes the sister missing. "Wait, where's Lisa?"

Speaking of which, she shows up to the siblings, showing no repercussions or any trouble from where she had been. "There. I think that covers it up."

"Lisa, where have you been?" Lori asks her. "We cannot afford losing someone behind!"

"Oh, I just did the patriotic deed of planting an aerosol disinfectant in our flight. No harm done," she relaxingly says.

"You did what?" Lincoln gasps.

"I basically cleaned the entire airplane. You do know that interiors for commercial planes tend to be a reliable habitat of harmful foreign organisms. That is why it needs a little cleaning." This claim makes Lori and Lincoln a little worried. "And not to worry about the damages. It is nanotechnology. I basically programmed them to eliminate germs and bacteria. You're welcome." She then walks to a seat on the lounge, leaving the two unable to react.

"Should we get our bags or something?" Leni asks. "I really could use a facial cleanser when I find my face oily."

"Nobody leaves this place," Lori instructs. "I'll call for a shuttle to pick us up. Just don't leave." Right at that moment, her phone rings, prompting her to pick it up instantly. "Hello?...Yes…I'm gonna need to confirm…"

Lincoln has a hunch that Lori is up to no good at all. So, he quietly eavesdrops her call. He easily picks up buzzwords like "Continental" and "we cannot mention to John…" But what gets on his nerves is that she gets a confirmation that "they are on the run" and that the "police must not know this". His heart beats fast in anxiety as to what Lori is covering.

Just as he about to sneak off, Lucy pops right in front of him, scaring him but making him quickly cover his mouth. "Lucy, can you make an entrance that does not involve jump scares?"

"I could almost that you are eavesdropping on Lori," Lucy assumes.

"What? No!" Lincoln denies. "I was just…" He then sees a whole stack of flyers on his right and takes one flyer. "…looking through what places we can go in our stay in New York."

Lucy looks up the flyer to see something misleading. " _Free Full Body Massage_?"

Looking at his mistake, Lincoln quickly crumples the glossy paper ad and throws it away. "Well, just checking out."

"You know, if you think there is some conspiracy behind Lori, you better evaluate it to yourself first before you make assumptions. That is the lesson I harshly learned when I thought Haiku was about to leave my club. But she was actually leaving town for a week. I don't want the same thing to happen to our trip." She then leaves Lincoln with that warning, which he begins to ponder.

* * *

An hour goes by, the night shines through the New York sky, and the Louds still wait for their courier service to arrive. After each of them claims his or her luggage from the conveyor belt, everyone is doing his or her respective business inside Terminal 2: Lori is busy on the phone, Leni is checking out the various high-end boutiques inside the terminal, Luna and Lynn are gouging on burgers that they bought from a nearby McDonald's, Luan has a fun time feeding Lily, Lucy is reading an autobiography about Edgar Allan Poe, Lola buries her head on the cold table, Lana is feeding Hops with the fruits and deli she kept, and Lisa is staying tuned to the television featuring 24/7 cable news.

Lincoln, meanwhile, remains uneasy with Lori's shady calls. But since he wishes for a good trip, he takes a deep breath of optimism. "Just calm down Lincoln. Just don't think about Lori for a moment. You are here to have fun."

Abruptly, an African American driver shows up to the siblings. "So, are you up for a ride?"

"You must be our driver," Lori says, as the siblings gasp.

"Daryl here. At your service to escort you to the City that Never Sleeps," he proudly proclaims, prompting the Louds to stand up and cheer.

Lola just happens to wake up at the sound of cheering. "What's going on? What did I miss?"

"Hop on. We have an hour to go!"

The Loud children willingly pick up their bags and settle on their shuttle ride in a minivan. They are stunned on the transport they are about to take.

Lola addresses the elephant in the room, "Okay, how do we supposed to fit in that van with all of us in, plus our bags?!"

"We could try just squeezing in," Lincoln suggests.

"Good luck with the population density," Lisa dryly implies.

"We should have just brought Vanzilla with us," Leni proposes.

"And how do we do that?" Lynn asks her.

"We can place him in our bags…" That is when Leni finds out about her rather hyperbolic assumption. "Right, we should have just brought in the plane." Because of that, Lynn slaps her face.

Lori then steps up to intervene, "Guys, this is just an hour drive to the hotel. It's not literally gonna be that long. Now, do you want to make this trip worth it or not?"

The siblings have no choice but to agree. Lincoln says assuredly, "Well, at least there's that hope. How bad can it be?"

* * *

That contrasts to what the Louds are dealing with on their way to the Manhattan borough. Lori and Lana are at front seat; Lincoln, Leni holding Lily, Lynn and Lola are at the seats behind the driver's; and Luan, Lucy, Lisa and Luna are at the backseats, holding their bags and luggage. They have to give the middle seats to a quartet of senior citizens who are bound to perform for an orchestra.

"You were saying?" Lola asks him.

"I still stand on my own words," Lincoln answers in confidence, making his little sister groan.

"You guys okay behind there?" Lori asks the girls from the backseats.

"We're cool, sis," Luna answers as she firmly holds a stroller touching her neck.

"Man, we should have just carried backpacks. Hahaha. Get it?" Luan quips, annoying the rest.

The van passes several highways, traversing mainly on the Van Wyck Expressway and to the New York State Route 25. Most of the sisters fall asleep along the way, but Lincoln eagerly lays his eyes on just a view of the Manhattan skyline.

Once their ride makes its way through the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, his eyes just lay in awe to the New York skyline illuminating in the fall of night. It is too wonderful to stare at the glistening lights and the brimming culture that is still active at a time of 12:03 of early morning. Lincoln can almost hear the song "American Boy" by Estelle feat. Kanye West playing on his head, which is actually being played on the radio.

After a scenic view of the Manhattan skyline, the van arrives at their hotel. Bushed and weightless, the children get off from the vehicle and have their bags loaded in a trolley to be escorted by a bellhop. Daryl charges Lori with $30 per head for the ride, to which she begrudgingly follows up.

"Thank you, ma'am," he replies. "And if you need a ride, let me know."

"Fine," Lori utters. "It's at least better than Uber."

The entourage walks to their room like zombies. Thankfully, there are no other people around the halls at that time. So, it is perfectly fine for them to drag their own bodies to their room.

The bellhop unlocks the door to their room to their absolute surprise. It contains a fully-furnished bathroom with a shower and a bathtub, a walk-in closet, a flat-screen television, a couch, a mini-fridge, two table-tops with lamps, a medium cabinet and a scenic view of Manhattan. But there's one concession that shocks the siblings: there are only two beds.

To no one's surprise, the sisters fight for control for those two beds.

The bellhop then offers Lori the access card to their room and several keys. "Here. Security to your room. We also recommend that you visit our upper floor viewing deck. Is there anything else you need, ma'am."

"No, it's literally fine," Lori answers.

"Okay. Enjoy your stay." The bellhop then leaves the room.

After that, Lori pulls out her whistle from "No Guts, No Lori" and signals her brawling sisters. "Okay, room assignments, ladies! If we have to share one room with two beds, we have to do it orderly."

"Right, as if we are taking orders from you," Lola mocks her.

But Lori threatens her, "Do you want to sleep outside, little missy?" That is enough to hold Lola back. "Okay, whatever our call is, Lily gets to the stay on a bed. That means Lola, Leni, Lucy and Lisa, you get to stay watch over her."

The four have a mixed reaction.

"Lana, Luan, Lynn and I occupy the other bed, while Luna takes the couch."

"Alright!" Luna exclaims.

"Okay, I think that settles it."

But Lincoln holds up. "Woah, woah, Lori, how about me? You didn't assign me to any bed."

Luna then offers, "Don't worry dude. You can stay with me."

Lincoln has quite trouble on picturing that. Later on, he and Luna stay tuned on a late-night HBO rock documentary. Lincoln stays awake, his eyes wide open, but Luna snoozes during the night, as well as the rest of the sisters. "Well, I could use a late-night view."


	3. Chapter 3

To make it through the night, Lincoln unwinds at the hotel's magnificent roof deck view of New York City. It is almost amazing to absorb the New Yorker atmosphere, composing of glittering lights, towering skyscrapers and bustling traffic noise from below. But it feels tranquil from his view. It is rare for him to set foot on a rooftop garden that has an al fresco café, a water fountain and a mini-orchard. Gladly, no one is there to spot him unsupervised.

"I could almost feel the city that never sleeps," Lincoln utters. Suddenly, sewer smoke sputters to his face, making his hair messy.

Eventually, the 11-year-old gets back to the room quietly. But as he walks down the beige-lit halls, he spots a manila paper-wrapped-on-a-string package at his doorstep. He picks it up to see a note that says, "To LL, we hope we gave you what you need". He shakes the package to check out what is in it. Whatever it is, it does not mean good news for the suspicious boy, who deduces that some of his sisters might be behind some grand sinister scheme that she is hiding from their backs. He then deduces in a very sleuth way, "There is only one person that can receive such a package: Lori. She's the only person I see with the most suspicious background. I have to investigate."

After then, Lincoln quietly sneaks back to the room, tiptoeing in every step he goes. He tries to figure out where to hide the package to keep it away from its receiver. He thinks that his bag would be appropriate since it is his bag, and rummaging it unauthorized is an invasion of privacy. But he also considers that the culprit might be cunning to sneak her way to retrieve the package.

"Where to hide it?" he mumble to himself.

His eyes then move to the bathroom. With that, he finally figures out where to hide the package. "Bingo". He tiptoes to the brightly lit bathroom and locks the door. At that assurance, he removes the toiletries tray from atop the toilet and lifts up the cover gently. There he quickly places the package and returns the heavy cover instantly.

"Oldest trope in the book," Lincoln remarks to the readers. "But it is effective. I have to hide it, so I can uncover this conspiracy running through my head. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. Although, it hasn't yet reached to the desperate levels. Just saying." He then returns to the couch, where he sees Luna sleeping heavily and leaving the TV on, and calls it a night.

* * *

The next morning, Lola happily screeches her voice to wake up her oversleeping brother, "Lincoln, wakey wakey! Eggs and bakey!"

This instantly wakes him up that he drops to the carpeted floor. "Would you stop being an alarm clock for me? It's a screeching headache."

"Well, you can give it that. Or you can stay here while enjoy the rest of the tour," she stresses.

Lana also jumps in. "Good you're awake Lincoln! You better hurry up or you'll miss the city bus tour within eight minutes." She keeps encouraging him by shaking his shoulders. "Up and at 'em!"

"Okay, okay, here I am." He quickly fixes himself and readies his bag, his mittens and his beanie.

Outside, the Louds' double-decker bus is waiting. The sisters are amazed at the size of the bus they are about to ride, and they easily rush to the top to occupy the best seats on the top. Lola and Lana catch up from behind, with Lincoln behind them and trying to put on his mittens.

He is greeted by a James Corden-ish tour guide, who is so jolly in his twang. "Welcome aboard lad to the best city tours you could ever experience in New York City, and you must be?" The guide points the microphone to Lincoln.

"Lincoln Loud…"

"Lincoln Loud, I think we have Met before," he quips, which causes some New Yorkers on board and also Luan to chuckle. "I say you during a performance. Maybe it was you or some cranky New York Times' critic. But it is okay if you don't Koch the joke. Sorry to put you in the Center of attention. We, New Yorkers, Opera-te in a different form of humor. And I am British for goodness' sake."

As some adult tourists (presumably twenty-something culture hipsters) laugh along, Lincoln is left speechless, unable to relate to the puns that the guide threw at him. He awkwardly goes to a seat beside Luan.

"It's okay Lincoln," the tour guide says. "We do need a laugh for once before we go on tour."

Lori arrives last. She quickly gives Luna some several favors for her, which leads him to assume that Lori might be going somewhere. She approaches Lincoln. "Okay Lincoln, got everything you need for the day?"

"Yeah I do," he answers.

"Medicine? Mittens? City map?"

"It's all here, Lori."

"Okay good. I cannot come literally with you guys on the bus tour."

"What? Why?"

"There's some important matters I have to handle. But don't worry. I'll be with you guys when we watch on Broadway. I really wanted to bring you there."

Lincoln wishes to address his suspicions to her, just to shrug it off and let his older sister understand him. But he stutters his way, "But…you promised that we'll…"

"I will. Now have fun." She then embraces her little brother before she gets off the double-decker bus. "Alright guys, I'll leave Luna in charge with you. See you at the hotel. Bye! Have fun!"

"Bye Lori!" The sisters then wave her goodbye as the bus departs and starts the tour.

Lincoln is left still at his seat, trying to contemplate if Lori is seated on big trouble or not. Nevertheless, he begrudgingly moves along with the tour.

The tour guide continues his spiel, "Alright tourists, we're about to visit one of the most exciting sights on the world's most iconic city. So, ground rules would be nice. Rule #1: No flash photography, and generally no flashing. Rule #2: Don't forget me on one of your selfies. And Rule #3: No one gets left behind, or else I am mandated to locate each of you. Okay, let's start the tour!"

The bus arrives first at the Washington Square Arch, where the group takes photos of or with the iconic landmark. Lincoln refuses to get in line with the sisters' group picture. But they insist anyway, which convinces him nonetheless.

"Smile Lincoln! Come on!" Lola asserts.

He then gives a crooked smile.

After Washington Square Arch, the group arrives at Battery Park, where the Louds pick up souvenirs and foods like cotton candy and piraguas. Lincoln and Lucy try to spot the Statue of Liberty from their position. Lana meanwhile summons the squirrels of the place and feeds them with the soggy airplane food. Subsequently, she is caught by the park attendants, and they chase her.

Next in their tour is the One World Trade Center, where the group takes a thirty-minute tour around the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Knowing about the subject of the museum, the Louds show a solemn attitude as they walk around and see various memorabilia from the tragedy behind 9/11. But they are able to take a deep breath of relief after the tour when they stop by for Sabrett hotdogs.

Afterwards, they get a glimpse of Wall Street, which some of the siblings never figure out why it is called that. They are just mesmerized by the giant corporations and business firms that are around the area.

The bus then passes several communities like Tribeca, Baxter Street, Pearl Street, NoHo, SoHo, East Village and Alphabet City. There is even a stop at Chinatown, where the Louds pick up a box of dumplings and fortune cookies. However, along Pearl Street, Lincoln takes a notice on the Beaver Building, where he sees a wounded man with a beard and messed-up hair walking to the building. It makes him return to his suspicions about "Continental".

For the second to the last primary destination, they stop at the area around Columbus Circle where the group takes advantage of the neat attractions there like the statue of Christopher Columbus, Time Warner Center, Mandarin Oriental, the entrance to Central Park and (unfortunately) the Trump Tower, to which none of the siblings react to. But the tour guide seems to be reactive about it, "And on this place is perhaps the Third White House of the United States of America, if you know what I mean from third."

But they long awaited for the final destination of their tour: Times Square. The bus stops behind Bryant Park where the group drops off to stroll towards the iconic intersection. They pass by several cafes, pubs, corporations and other establishments along 6th Ave. They turn to West 48th Avenue and take a left along 7th Ave. The stroll may seem tiring for some. But they are very carried away with the attractions they spotted that makes them shrug from the walking. They have nothing to say but "Wow".

Lincoln can almost spot the neon lights and tarpaulin billboards that are hovering over him. He nearly gets separated from the group when he gets first on crossing the street while the group waits for their turn to cross.

He just sprints right towards the middle of the pedestrian area to seize the moment when he breathes in the cold, frosty air and glance at the overwhelming sights around him. There he experiences a _Heroes_ moment when Hiro Nakamura teleports to Times Square and rejoices that moment with open arms. In the same manner, Lincoln opens his arms and screams, "I love New York!" It is just a wonderful moment that could only happen once in a lifetime.

But Lola has to ruin the moment. "Too much of a drama queen."

"What? It's just Times Square. You have to really feel this moment," Lincoln defends.

"Dude, nachos. Wants some?" Luna offers him her snacks.

He willingly walks to his siblings, who are sitting on the red staircase behind him and take pieces of cheese-filled nachos.

Out of the blue, Leni says, "I could almost picture the sights I can see here: H&M, Forever 21, Uniqlo!"

"Leni, are they any other interesting attractions you can think of aside from those economically shady retail stores?" Lisa asks.

"Well, I heard something called Manhattan dressing. I really wonder if that relates to New Yorker's sense of fashion."

"That is just a low-calorie condiment from lowly convenience stores."

"So what do we do now after this?" Lana asks them.

"Well, we could take a detour for a Yankees Game," Lynn suggests, "Or pizza!"

The siblings then agree on that.

"Of course, we're in New York. And it isn't logical not to get New York Pizza," Luan remarks, to which the sisters cheerfully agree.

"What do you say Lincoln?" Lana asks.

"Why not?" Lincoln happily agrees.

With that, after the tour, the Louds order five pizzas.


	4. Chapter 4

For every tourist in New York, their pizza is a must-have to eat. So, after their glorifying tour around the Lower Manhattan area, the Loud children order four boxes of pizza to the hotel room; two of which are on regular dough while the rest are deep dish varieties. Smelling the aroma in the elevator, the group cannot help but run back to their room, with Lincoln phasing behind.

"Give me! Give me! Give me!" each of the sisters demand to Luna, who is holding the pizzas.

"Hold on dudes! You're going to make trip over the pizzas," Luna pleads them as she taps the door to their room.

There, they see their older sister Lori lying asleep on the first bed.

"Lori sure got back on time," Lana remarks.

"Well, at least we get to have two more slices for us," Lola jokes.

"Hey, save for Lori, dudes," Luna tells them.

"What? I was just kidding," Lola replies.

Luna then places the pizzas to the table in front of the couch. It seems appropriate that the boxes of pizza will be placed there for a moment of TV dinner for the Louds.

Back to Lincoln, after learning his sister arriving earlier than they, he goes back to his suspicions about the activities she is hiding from her siblings' back. He heads to the bathroom and locks the door. He clears the items above the toilet lid and opens the heavy ivory-made lid to seek the package. To his surprise, IT IS GONE.

"The package, where is it?" Lincoln gasps in this tremendous horror.

Untimely, Leni knocks on the door. " _Lincoln, will you be done there?_ "

"Just a minute. Squeezing the lemon," Lincoln frantically tells her.

" _Oh okay. Just hurry up. You'll miss the pizza_ ," she reminds him.

He then hears Lola berating. " _Hey! The deep dish's mine!_ "

" _No mine!_ " Lana rebukes.

"Don't miss it for me!" Lincoln tells her. He slowly but surely places back the lid, so does the bathroom items that are above it. With that alarming discovery, he reserves his suspicions that his sister Lori might have stolen or obtained the package for something shady.

Just as he savors his pizza and joins his other sisters watching _Enchanted_ , Lincoln tries to pick up the pieces that are clear signs of suspicious activity from Lori. He goes back to the buzzwords from her phone conversation with someone important and theorizes what she could have been doing in New York City.

"Feeling uneasy, that is for sure," Lucy randomly implies to him.

"You know Lucy, you are quick on jumping to conclusions," Lincoln replies.

"But I am right, aren't I?" she answers back to him, to which Lincoln gulps to his throat. "Lincoln, I can sense the aura of each of our siblings. I can see that you have been troubled on your trust on Lori that there might be something shady about her…"

Before she could finish, Luan and Lynn overhear her. But Lincoln conceals the revelation by placing a piece of deep dish pizza to Lucy's mouth.

"Something shady? What are you guys talking about?" Lynn asks them.

"Uhmmm you know, something shady," Lincoln gives their alibi. "You know, tomorrow, we learned that it will be a sunny day. So you know, we try to think of some place here in New York where there's something shady. Like the Central Park, or Coney Island. Something where there's shade?" He then gives out a nervous smile to them.

"Well, you should have summer-ized your words before using them. Hahaha! Get it?" Luan quips, much to their chagrin.

Lincoln then wipes off his sweat from concealing his conspiracy theory about Lori. He then whispers to Lucy, "Okay Lucy, look, I don't know if anything with Lori is good or bad. What I know is she might be hiding from us. And we might all be in danger. Do you get me?"

After Lucy chews the pizza from her mouth, she says, "We better be careful about accusing Lori of 'shady activity'. But when it comes to uncovering the truth from dark places, you know that is my point of interest." She officially goes along with Lincoln's plan.

"Alright, now we're talking. Now we just need to follow her wherever she might go this time."

"Uhmmm she's coming with us tomorrow for Broadway."

"Oh, never considered that. Well, we just need to take note of the calls she might have. And there's another thing that can prove she is into something."

"What is it?"

"A package, wrapped in manila paper. It was dropped here the previous night. But I hid it away. But a while ago, it disappeared without a trace. I suspect Lori might have found out and stole it for herself. There's really something I don't like."

"Other than being the biggest sister?"

"Other than being the biggest sister."

"Well, if that's the case, what is your plan?"

With that, Lincoln tries to formulate a plan for tomorrow.

* * *

Flash forward to the next day, the Louds prepare their formal outfits for the first show they will see on Broadway.

"Tell me why do we need to wear this snazzy suits?" Lana asks about her tight black dress. "It's not like we're going to a ball or something."

"We're going to watch a Broadway show, Lana," Lori says to her. "Formal outfit is literally part of the protocol."

Lana then frowns about it.

The rest of the sisters prepare their formal dresses as well. On the other hand, Lincoln is fixing up his formal suit and tie for the occasion. He finishes his look by wearing shades. "Hmmmm I make this look good." As if that is not enough _Men in Black_ referencing, Lincoln packs his notepad and pencil to his pocket like a secret agent to the MIB. "Agent Lincoln, here to stop trouble."

Lola overhears him from the bathroom and mocks, "Pfft. Cheesy."

After styling up for the occasion, the Louds head for the sidewalks, hoping that Lori might get them an exclusive ride to Minskoff Theater. But she gives them this news. "Guys, literally change of plans, our escort won't be here for an hour. And we might miss the show when we wait for that long."

The sisters groan about that news.

"But don't worry, in New York, there's always a plan B."

Lola then expresses her dismay. "Oh great. If we have to ride one of those rusty and smelly yellow cabs around the Big Apple, I would rather make a paper boat and ride in the sewers instead!" Ironically, the Louds' next option is through subway, which completely disorients everyone, including Lola. "I take it back. I love those rusty and smelly yellow cabs. At least they have a things to see."

En route to Broadway, the older siblings (from Lincoln to Lori) stand and hold on to the bars, while the younger ones take a seat. Whenever the train speeds up or gets filled with more passengers, the older ones get more disoriented but fulfilled having to experience the New York subway for the first time.

It only seems that Lana is fascinated with seeing the New York Subway system. "I wonder how many sewer rats are in this tunnel." She goes to pull out a pizza from her pocket and ready to throw it.

But Lori stops her. "Not one bit, Lana." The latter responds by stooping back at her seat.

Sooner, they make it to the Times Square-42nd Street Station, where they regroup and stroll to the Minskoff Theater in the same way yesterday.

But unlike yesterday, where it was almost safe, as they walk along a pedestrian lane along 43rd Street, a taxi nearly bumps them. In response, Lori vehemently berates the driver, "Hey! We're walking here buddy! We're walking here!"

"Lori, you don't have to be mean to the poor driver," Leni tells her. "He was just making a living."

"By turning us the opposite of living?" Luan quips. "Hahaha. Well…that was dark."

"Clearly, you are not familiar with the customs of typical New Yorker transportation," Lisa remarks. "That taxi driver is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Save it later, Lisa," Lori tells her. "At least things will not get any worse from this." If that was not ironic enough, as they wait to cross the street, the Louds are inadvertently puffed with cold pothole smoke that nearly soaks them and frizzled up their hair. "I literally take it back."

* * *

After that disastrous stroll, the Louds make it to the theater and occupy their seat reservations. They take the cheaper, upper seats. But in hindsight, it still has a good view to the stage below. But it is much to the behest to all of them. Yet, Lori reprimands them, "Guys, it's the best option I can literally give. Either this or you all get to sleep in a low-budget hotel where you also serve in the kitchen."

"Those things exist in New York?" Lincoln wonders.

"They are called hostels," Lynn answers. "They house some tourists and have them do odd jobs, so they could stay in make a buck."

"That's neat."

But Lola changes the topic. "Nah, my only complaint is that we chose this instead of _Frozen_."

Leni interrupts, "I think _Mean Girls_ is better. We should have chosen that."

Then, Lynn lands an obvious joke about it, "Well, shouldn't you be in _Mean Girls_ , since you're one of the blonde characters?"

"I'm not a mean girl," Leni answers back. "I'm a good girl."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"We should have chosen _Rock of Ages_ instead dudes," Luna argues.

"Luna, I don't think that is showing right now," Lori says.

"If I were you politically unconscious twits, I would attend to the more sophisticated presentations in the Metropolitan Opera House," Lisa brings up randomly.

Then, it goes arguing from there between the sisters, much to Lincoln's upset. "Well, there goes our pricey seats in _The Lion King_ ," he says to the readers of this fic.

Lily seems to be having fun as she cheers on for them arguing.

Lori suddenly senses her phone vibrating, and she answers a call. "Hello?" Knowing it to be vital, she excuses herself from her rather busy sisters. "Just literally a minute guys. I'll be back." She then heads outside.

Lincoln thinks this is a right time to sneak out and spy on Lori. So, he pretends to go for the men's room and immediately hides behind a potted plant to see Lori walking down the hall. The 11-year-old stealthily sneaks up on her.

After a while, the little boy sees her approach an orderly gentleman with a black suit and tie. But the man is pretty familiar; it was the same guy with bushy hair and beard that Lincoln saw walking to the Beaver Building from yesterday.

Lincoln sees this as a red flag, especially as he overhears her say: "That's good. We can have them enter the city by this week. I think they'll be blown away when they arrive."

Poop just hit the fan.


	5. Chapter 5

Lincoln is traumatized with Lori's words that he froze a little bit. He could not move a muscle to even react to what just transpired. His mental capacity could not accept the fact that Lori is talking with assumed bad guys over planning to cause havoc. Maybe it is his little assumptions but it is based on what he heard and what he suspected.

He then overhears Lori ending her conversation with the Keanu Reeves lookalike. He tries to scoot away casually. And after escaping her watch, the 11-year-old runs along the carpeted halls of the Minskoff Theater and back to his seat.

He frantically pushes the door back to the theater proper. But to his surprise, he does not enter to the actual theater; he enters to a private VIP room filled with men in suits with artillery on the tables. The men face towards him when they hear him intrude the events proper. Their eyes are pictured with menace and annoyance that a kid like Lincoln was able to enter the room. Never mind that he ignored the sign outside that says "Bronze Minskoff VIPs Only. This room is prohibited." Lincoln just barged in to the wrong room.

Learning of this awkward situation, Lincoln utters, "Well…uhmmmm…guess this is not the bathroom. My mistake. It's the…partial blindness. Yes, that's right. This right eye is blind." He nervously laughs to sell his excuse, to no avail. "Well, got to go." Immediately, he runs away from the room and hurriedly searches for the door back to the theater.

After browsing through some unguarded doors, even the fire exits, Lincoln finally locates the door to his seat, being manned by an usher. He shows him his ticket, to which the usher let him enter.

His siblings hear him holding his breath as he goes back to his seat.

"You seemed to be on a rush, bro," Luna comments.

"Where you been, Lincoln?" Leni asks.

"I was just wondering around. Kinda got lost trying to find the bathroom here," Lincoln defends himself, even giving a nervous laugh in the end.

"There are male and female bathrooms literally right outside of the door, Lincoln," Lori says to her.

"What? I didn't know that. Better note that in my head then," he enunciates spontaneously, obviously feigning. The sisters notice this, but they shrug it off to focus on the show. "So, what I missed?"

"Nahh, it's just the boring orchestra. It hasn't even started yet," Lynn remarks.

Lincoln breathes in relief with that prospect.

* * *

After watching a spectacular performance of _The Lion King_ in Broadway, the Louds have dinner in the Mama Sbarro's restaurant right at Times Square for another round of deep dish pizza. They order four rounds of pizza to which they feast in delight under their formal dresses. "PIZZA!"

With no hesitation, they stuff their mouths with delicious pizza and bottomless drinks. They do not even mind of the toppings dripping from their plates. It is another pizza adventure in New York.

But Lincoln is being cautious this time as he continues to observe Lori's actions. In every step of the way, he believes that she is up to her "sinister" plans. He whispers to Lucy, "Rendezvous to the loo."

"What?" Lucy cannot hear her brother from mumbling through eating his pizza.

"To the loo," he repeats.

"Why? Where are you going?"

Lincoln palms himself in the face and goes for the straightforward approach. "Meet me at the back." He then heads there, leaving Lucy to follow him to the restroom area as he instructed. Lori sees this but shrugs it off.

"Lincoln?" Lucy utters, just as he brings her to the side.

"Lori is in cahoots! I heard her talked with someone strange."

"Lincoln, there are a lot of people in New York that are strange."

"No, I mean really bad strange. They're kind of conspiring to bring a bomb to the city."

"Lincoln, these are serious things that you are talking about."

"I know! Anyway, I heard them that she and that guy who is some kind of spy will bring in 'guys' to the city. And they'll be blown away when they arrive. So I think we're in the middle of a terrorist plot right here."

With his defense, Lincoln projects every statement like he is a passionate conspiracy theorist for a mediocre news pundit. Lucy can see this through his delivery, and much like any sane person, she does not buy any of his suspicions. "Don't you think that the 'blown away' part on what you heard is just a figure of speech?"

"I am serious Lucy! Our big sister could be in danger! I don't want to ruin this for her or for any of us. Now, are you with me?"

"What are we going to do?"

"We're going to get to the bottom of this. With me?"

Lucy has her reservations on buying Lincoln's argument. Nevertheless, she offers him a hand to resolve this suspicion towards their big sister.

After that, the two rejoins their sisters to finish the last pan. But at the midst of the happiness of the siblings joyously feasting on the pizza, Lincoln spots a mysterious figure in a trench coat, a fedora hat and hard-boiled getup, whose face is even obscure, overlooking them from the outside. It is instantly a skin-crawling discovery to see. But as a bus passes by, he disappears from Lincoln's sight.

This is something worth sharing, but Lincoln keeps it to himself.

* * *

The next day, as the siblings take their complimentary breakfast, Lori relays their plans for the day. "Okay guys, so far, are we having a blast in New York?"

They unanimously agreed that they are enjoying everything.

"Yesterday, I didn't know that Simba died to save his son," Lana brings up.

"I think you meant Mufasa," Lynn corrects her.

"I know. I was just messing with you." Lana then chuckles, making Lynn do the same.

Lori then announces, "Alright, since we still have shopping for tonight, and our trip to the Statue of Liberty is tomorrow, I say you can literally have your free time now."

All of the siblings are delighted with this news.

"No way, sis. Really?!" Luna squirms excitedly.

"It's your free time," she reiterates, prompting for the rest to cheer "Yes!" However, Lori clarifies, "But until 5 o'clock. I need you all back here by that time for our dinner reservations in the hotel."

While their older sister relays their itinerary, the rest cannot help but think of the activities they can do around New York City.

"CBGB! Here I come!" Luna utters.

"Oh, I bet I can find some comedy acts around Manhattan," Luan speculates.

"And many other critters here, especially in the park!" Lana squeals.

"Just everyone, please be back by 5," Lori tells them.

"Sure Lori!" most of the sisters exclaim. And out of the door, they go to the places they want to go.

But Lori, Lincoln and Lucy stay behind. The former notices this, "So, are you two going to stay here?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine. We'll just watch TV or something," Lincoln tells her.

"Or later, take a peek on the haunted hotel library," Lucy gives her excuse, which makes Lincoln raise an eyebrow.

Lori then reacts, "Why would you literally be interested in going to a hotel library? And why would there be a haunted hotel library in the first place?" But she shrugs it off. "Never mind. I'll leave that to you. Just I don't want any trouble. We don't want last time to happen again." She refers to the catastrophe from the episode "Suite & Sour". "Lisa, come with me."

"What?! Why would I join in your company?" she vehemently asks.

"You know anything about oriental medicine or even spices?"

"I have encountered exotic varieties from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as part of a bioengineering research."

"Good. I need you in Chinatown."

"Why you got so interested in oriental medicine?"

But Lori offers a done deal, "Accompany me and I will bring you to UN or some science convention in the city."

Immediately, Lisa accepts. "Deal!"

The two then depart, prompting Lincoln and Lucy to count mentally until the sisters completely take the elevators. After which, the two suit up.

"Let's go!"

Cue the _Mission: Impossible_ theme, and the two equip themselves with walkie-talkies, a dark wardrobe and spy equipment from a plastic toy set.

"Some missions are not a choice," Lincoln throws a one-liner, as if posing for the camera.

But Lucy interrupts. "Alright, you can start by not mugging like a guy in action movie. So dreary."

The two then proceed to follow Lori and Lisa's path. The latter sisters take a taxi, which leads them to take another one and chase after them. Then the rest of their day follows.

As for the other sisters, they go to fulfilling their bucket list in New York: Leni and Lola check out the fashion scenes in Manhattan, Luna visits the site of the CBGB music club, Luan and Lily books seats to a taping of _Late Night with Seth Meyers_ in the 30 Rockefeller Building, Lynn watches a hockey game in Madison Square Garden and Lana checks out the woodland critters that reside in Central Park. The Louds almost are trying to check off every activity that any New York tourist should take. So, they break off into groups to try to do everything they can possibly imagine.

But even in the midst of the fun, the same mysterious trench coated figure follows each of them wherever they might go.


	6. Chapter 6

It has been a beautiful season in New York. Whether summer or winter, it is the perfect season to seize every New Yorker moment and every New Yorker tradition.

So, before the sisters split up, Leni, Lola and Luna perform this impromptu number, taken from the song "The Schuyler Sisters" from _Hamilton_ :

 _Luna_

Luna!

 _Lola_

Lola!

 _Leni_

And Leni!

 _All_

The Loud sisters!

 _Luna_

Luna!

 _Leni_

Leni!

 _Lola_

Lola!

 _All_

Work!

 _Leni_

Lori said to return by sundown

 _Luna_

Lori doesn't need to know

 _Leni_

Lori said not to go uptown

 _Lola_

Like she said, it's our free time go!

 _Luna_

Look around, look around at how

Lucky we are to be here right now!

 _Lola/Leni_

Look around, look around at how

Lucky we are to be over here right now!

 _All_

History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be

In the greatest city in the world!

In the greatest city in the world!

And thanks to their bellowing melodies, some passers-by watch them awkwardly, unable to react to such a thing in New York City.

"Looks like somebody just can't get enough of the _Hamilton_ musical," one flamboyant café customer remarks.

Then a heckler mocks them, "Hey! Ham4Ham is that way, guys!"

But the girls just ignore those around them, and they part ways towards their intended destinations. Their humming still echoes to the pedestrians around them.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lori and Lisa stop by at a building across Pell Street. The narrow lane is crowded with Chinese residents and tourists who are flocking to the stores within the vicinity. The sisters get down from their taxi and proceed to walk to their destination.

The bustling traffic and the cold-air pollution seem to be welcoming their way.

"Never would I imagine that a large portion from the 'Sleeping Giant' of Asia would be represented in this neighborhood in Manhattan," Lisa comments about the sprawling Chinatown, Manhattan.

"Get used to it, literally," Lori replies to her. "Just stay behind me."

"Well, this better be a good trip to a Chinese drugstore."

"We'll get there when we get there."

Right behind, Lincoln and Lucy skitter their way out of their taxi and act stealthy on tracking down Lori and Lisa's direction. But the presence of sprawling pedestrians makes it hard to do so. A cart even suddenly passes by in front of them that they had to lean to the glass window of the general merchandising store in front of them.

"Gosh, a tough crowd here. How can we catch them?" Lincoln utters.

Lucy then turns behind her to see some garbage bins and boxes stacked together in an alley to lead a way to the rooftops. She then tells this to Lincoln, "How about we take the roofs?"

Lincoln also turns his head to the alley to see the same thing, which kind of makes him nervous. "Or since you can appear from out of nowhere, why don't you catch them first?"

"It doesn't always work that way, Lincoln," Lucy dryly answers.

Lincoln raises his eyebrow to try to coax his emo sister, but she is unfazed. Failing to deter her, he finally gives in. "Fine."

He then gets his first turn on climbing on the stacked bins and boxes towards the top. They are kind of unsteady and vulnerable that Lincoln carefully places his feet one at a time. He helps Lucy climb on each step, until they reach a typical lower-story New York rooftop, complete with puffed smoke, pigeons and wooden water tank.

"That was easy," Lincoln remarks.

But ironically, a Chinese restaurateur barges out from the rooftop door and spots the two trespassing. "Qīnrù zhě! Qīnrù zhě!" he shouts at them.

"Okay, maybe we should have taken it to the ground," Lucy tells him.

But Lincoln persuades her to go along, "RUN!"

Onward they go, as they become instant parkour artists when they jump from one rooftop after another. Luckily, the roofs are of concrete material, making it more accessible for the siblings.

"Wow, I think I'm getting a hang of this!" Lincoln exclaims.

But when they are about to jump to the next rooftop, they suddenly drop fast to the ground after its distance deemed it impossible to jump. "AHHHHHH!" Luckily, they fall towards a curb of leftover paper lantern materials, completely unscathed.

"Ouch! Completely unscathed huh?!" Lincoln grunts.

"Never thought I would fine Lynn's sprinting useful," Lucy remarks as she clears the materials from her shoulder.

Just as they are about to get up from the curb, they suddenly hear footsteps approaching their direction. They peek to see Lori and Lisa entering a Chinese drugstore via its secret entrance.

"It's Lori and Lisa, and they are up to no good," Lincoln suspects.

"How would we know if that is what they are up to?" Lucy asks.

"Lucy, can't you see the hints?" he defends to his sister, "Chinatown. Dark alleyway. Secret entrances. Drugstore. They are up to something, and we need to find out. And find out what's in that package that makes it a big deal."

"For you at least," she corrects him.

"Come on!"

With that, the two tiptoe towards the door and try to spy from the inside. Lincoln looks through the doorknob keyhole very closely to get a view.

"I can't see them," he grunts.

Lucy then takes out a glass from her pocket and offers it to Lincoln. "Maybe you can hear them."

"Good thinking," he receives it, but asks, "Wait, why you keep a glass with you?"

"Just do it."

Like that, Lincoln places the glass on the door to overhear Lisa uttering scientific babble. Although, he recognizes it to be not of English but Chinese.

"What are they saying?" Lucy asks.

"I don't know. Lisa's speaking Chinese," Lincoln answers. He then tells the rest of what he heard, "Wait…there are footsteps. There's one guy. And another guy." He focuses on the commotion more and more to try to decipher what is going on. Finally, he mentions, "And a door."

"They must have gotten to a room," Lucy suspects.

"So, this is what they want to play, huh? Come on Lucy!" Lincoln then marches away from the alley and towards the front of the drugstore.

"Where are you going, Lincoln?" she asks.

"Come on!"

Even though she is unsure of what her brother's plan is, Lucy follows him.

* * *

Elsewhere, Luna stumbles upon the site of the once renowned music club known as CBGB. Currently, it is kept closed with the enclosure being marked with graffiti and pen marks by famous musicians. As she drops her guitar case, the rocker quickly runs to the enclosure, just at awe to finally stumble one of rock-n-roll's iconic places.

"Wow…there she is," she enunciates. "The once mighty club where Mick Swagger discovered his groove. After a dark and lonely night, he took the microphone from the stage and sang his heart out. The whole world was in his hands. He can't get no satisfaction." But she surmises on the fact that it is closed to the public. "Oh man, if only it is open, I could lay a finger on that mic stand and…"

But before she can finish, she hears commotion from a nearby bush.

"Who's there?" Luna then takes out her drumsticks to make a defensive stance. "I warn you. My sister taught me how to karate chop anyone that come harm's way." But nobody is around her. She could only hear the wind passing by. "Huh? Strange." She then resumes absorbing the moment of encountering CBGB. "Well, that's all. Might I could stop for some drinks nearby."

Luna retrieves her guitar case and heads her way.

Just as she does, a man in a long trench coat and discrete bowler hat watches the Loud rocker walk away from the vicinity. He reaches out to his phone and confirms, "We got her." After that, he takes out a photo showing the Loud family, putting an X over Luna with a red marker.

* * *

Elsewhere, Luan and Lily arrive at Studio 8G to be part of the audience for the show _Late Night with Seth Meyers_. Luan is just amazed to step inside a TV studio where one of the most well-received late night TV show are filmed. As a wannabe comedian and a connoisseur for any types of comedy, she sees this as a wonderful privilege for comedians out there.

"Lily, just think of it being part of an audience for late night TV! Can you feel it?" Luan shrieks. "Glad we're not…late. Hehehe. Get it?"

So does Lily, who claps her hands happily.

"What if the host himself asks someone from the audience to come onstage with him?" she surmises. "I can't help but feel the chills. This is going to be great! Well, greater than the one from Jimmy Fallon." The young comedienne checks out her ticket to find her seat. Surely enough, it is a middle seat, which means she has to hop and dodge other occupants before getting to her seat.

"Well, glad I handled that with chair. Haha!" She then places Lily below first.

Suddenly, the lights dim, signaling for the TV crew to proceed on cue for shooting. The audience is asked to sit down. However, an announcement comes, "Attention to our dearest audience, we encourage that you occupy your seats. Shooting proper will proceed at ten minutes late. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you and enjoy the show."

Luan then grunts, "Well, I think we know who is late. Right Lily?" Luan looks below for Lily, but she is not there. She tries to search around her spot, in sight of her. But she is nowhere to be seen. "Lily? Lily? Lily!" She searches for her from below and on top from her seat.

With no absolute sign of Lily, Luan exits the studio, and another man in a trench coat follows her.


	7. Chapter 7

From the 30 Rockefeller Building, Luan excitedly calls Luna about her discovery.

Luna then answers her call, "Yo dude! How was the show?"

"Hello Luna! Kind of delayed," Luan answers. "But guess where I am right now."

"The studio? Tell me dude."

"Not just any studio! Remember the episode where Mick Swagger hosted _Saturday Night Live_?"

"You mean the only _Saturday Night Live_ episode that I love to watch with you?"

"Yep."

"You mean?"

"Yes, I am standing on the stage where Mick Swagger stood."

Luna cannot help but squirm to her fists as another extreme fanning kicks in. "MMMMmmmmm…Luan. Wish I could see the studio too!"

"Well, you could have told me to save you a slot for the lottery."

"Can you at least find a Mick Swagger item?"

"Not sure. Maybe in the dressing rooms, if no one is in there."

"Wait, how were you able to get in the studio?"

"Oh, I was looking for Lily. She crawled out of my grasp, and maybe she might have crawled here."

"Ohh. You better look for her, dude. Then maybe look for any goodie from Mick Swagger."

"Let me see if I can Mick it happen. Hehehe! Get it?" Luan then gets up from the iconic stage in hopes to see where Lily is at. But she soon realizes that she set foot on the stage where the hosts give their opening monologues and the house band are stationed for the remainder of every episode. The young comedienne can almost feel the chills on the same stage where iconic comedians stood before. "Oh Luna, this is almost like a dream come true. You should have seen this!"

"I know right, dude!"

Unbeknownst to the both of them, some shadowy figures in trench coats and 80's bowler hats are following them in the shadows. But they are unable to notice their surroundings, thanks to the excitement that is rising in them.

Not wanting to break the moment but Luan snaps out from zoning out when she hears Lily's giggles above her. She soon spots Lily hanging on the catwalk. "Lily! What are you doing up there?!"

"Poo! Poo!" she utters gibberish.

Luna overhears her sister shrieking about Lily. "Luan, what's going on there? Where's Lily?"

"I'll get back to you later. Gotta need to save our baby sister." She then hangs up.

"Okay…Just don't forget Mick Swagger item, sis." Luna then places her phone back in her pocket.

This is the perfect cue for the men in trench coats to capture Luna and chloroform her at an instant. She tries to release from their grips, but they are too strong for her to handle. She passes out. And with that, the men carry her away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucy enters the drugstore in a casual manner. She just browses through the medicine from the aisles and the glass cabinets. But in keeping with Lincoln's plan, she pretends to trip to the floor. "Woah…" she screams monotonously before landing her knees to the floor. "Ouuch. Need help. I slip to the floor. Please!"

Immediately, the Chinese staff of three race to Lucy to her aid. The few patrons in the drugstore witness the incident, prompting Lincoln to quietly sneak to the store and in the staff section.

"Ouch," Lucy keeps moaning in a monotone manner.

"Where does it hurt, young lady?" the Chinese guy asks.

"I think I broke my knee or my leg. It hurts," she blandly answers them. But the staff and the customers still buy her injury.

Right on to Lincoln, he tiptoes his way along the wooden halls in search of the whereabouts of Lori and Lisa. The rooms he passed by are designated to store Chinese herbs, medicine and other supplements, which may have given him a misinterpretation.

"Could it be that Lori…?" He then gasps at that assumption. "No, it couldn't be! But why did she bring Lisa along? Could it be that Lori…?" Piecing those revelations together, Lincoln realizes the threat that his sister might be involved. "Oh no they can't. Whatever Lori is involved in, I must get to the bottom this! AHHHHHH!"

The boy then fiercely charges to the rooms that are left unlabelled. However, there is no sign of them. That is when he charges to the last room that is labelled "Private Property – Do Not Enter" with Cantonese lettering above it. "AHHHHHHHH!"

Just like that, Lincoln breaks in the room to see Lori and Lisa meeting up with five other people of different nationalities.

Lori immediately recognizes her brother. "Lincoln, what are you doing here?!"

"Time's up, Lori! I know you're up to your secret schemes that you've been hiding from us!"

"What on earth are you talking about?!"

"Oh, you can't hide your evil plans on setting up a meeting in the Continental where we bring them to New York? To what? Blow us up."

Lori of course frowns upon Lincoln's accusations. "You've literally watched too many action movies."

"You know this person, Lori?" a Chinese lady asks her.

"Yes, this is my brother," Lori answers and introduces him to them. "And Lincoln shouldn't be here."

"Just spill the beans and tell me what's going on here!"

Lori then shuts the door, but not after looking back and forth for any intruder possible. She finally explains everything, "Okay. I'm part of a support group that helps foreign students study here in America. I helped them apply for colleges, high schools like that. And make sure they are safe."

"Then, what's all this for?"

"You know how much people give the wrong impression about people from the Middle East?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, we're keeping them away from public and place them in safe shelters or other people who are willing to sponsor them. This building doubles as a hostel by the way."

Lincoln then shifts his eyes to the foreign student that Lori is talking about. "Is that…?"

Lori explains, "Yes, his name is Farhad. He's from a country ruled by war. So, a Chinese family saved him and brought him to Hong Kong." She then points to the Chinese couple. "Then they see him as a child prodigy. It means he is literally smart."

"I know what a child prodigy is."

"Okay. So I helped him apply for a school here in New York and ready his documents. So, that's why I am here."

"So, wait, our trip to New York is just a cover-up…for this?"

"No, it's a real reward from the Chinese couple. Also, to get me here too."

Lincoln then tries to piece all the loose threads together. "Let me get this straight. You bring us to New York 'as a reward', so you can sneak away from us, so you can help this foreign kid arrive here, get his documents straight and apply for school."

"So why do you have to hide this from us? And from me? It's not like we're going to freak out or something."

"It is not that easy, Lincoln. The issue of diplomacy is a very sensitive one. And it requires discretion and respect to the people involved," Lisa disclaims.

"Okay, then what are you doing here?"

"I speak Cantonese, Lincoln."

"Fair enough, but I have just one more thing: what's with the package?!"

"What package?" Lori asks back.

"You know, the one in manila paper. Addressed to L. Loud! I hid it in the toilet!"

"Eww Lincoln! Why would I have a package like that? Or if I did, why would I hide it in the toilet?"

"Must we continue?" the Chinese foster father to Farhad asks her.

"Hold on a minute," Lori tells him. "Let me just speak to my brother." She then drags him away from the guests and places him in the corner. "Look, I apologize for the mixed signals. But you shouldn't be literally accusing me of a crime or even interfere with my privacy. Now, look what you almost done: exposing a kid with a sensitive background nearly in public and embarrassing me in front of good guests."

"If you could at least tell us what was going on," he defends.

But Lori counter-argues, "If you could at least be literally respectful to everyone involved." Trying to hold her frustrations down, she takes authority towards Lincoln as the oldest sibling. "Fine. But, you are grounded."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me? Mom and dad gave me authority on this trip. Therefore, you are grounded!"

"WHAT?! That's unfair!"

"Lincoln, you may have made a mistake but it also means you get what you deserved."

Just like that, Lincoln fiercely frowns upon Lori's judgement on him and leans his back to the wall stubbornly.

"Lincoln, get up! Just right on that chair, and we're about to leave."

But he would not budge.

"Now! Or I'm calling mom!"

Grunting, he begrudgingly marches to a chair on the corner and slams his body to it, out of aggravation. "I'm not speaking to you for the entire trip!"

Lori wishes she could handle her situation with Lincoln on a fitting time. But she immediately proceeds with the meeting with Farhad, his foster parents and the rest. "So, where were we?"

The guests are unable to speak after what they had just witnessed. Nevertheless, they continue.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lana is having a swell time feeding hotel leftovers to the Central Park critters that surround her. She keeps throwing baguette crumbs, croissant pieces, cheese morsels, lettuce leaves and other piece of vegetable to the animals there. Park animals of all kinds, like squirrel, rats, pigeons, stray dogs, stray cats, gerbils, gophers and doves gather around her. "There you go, fellas. Keep it coming. I have a lot in my pocket."

Lana then brings out a particular item that Lincoln is looking for: the package wrapped in manila wrap. She excitedly tears off the wrappings. "Glad I found this in the toilet. I thought it would never come." The package turns out to be a do-it-yourself bird feeder, which also applies for other animals. "Now check out this baby. Don't worry fellas. You won't worry about having to look for fancy food here in New York."

But as she begins building the feeder, another shady man in a trench coat and bowler hat overlooks at Lana from a distance. Just like the rest of his men, he prepares a cloth with chloroform.

A voice from his radio confirms, " _3_ _rd_ _Loud sibling captured. Confirm statuses of the rest. Over._ "

The man then answers, "8th Loud sibling on target. Need men for transport. Over."

The voice from the other line responds, " _Copy that. Over and out._ "

After then, as ominous as it gets, the man stands up from the bench and prepares to capture Lana.

Nothing is sure who these men are, but the Louds are in big trouble.


	8. Chapter 8

Back on Luan and Lily, the comedienne obtains a ladder from the Studio 8H backstage and places it to the catwalk where Lily has climbed on. The ladder seems sturdy as Luan tests on one step. "Oh boy. Ladders are part of physical comedy. Should have taken that Charlie Chaplin class." With a gulp to her throat, Luan climbs the steps on an unsteady pace. She is unsure if the catwalk would hold her and the ladder's weight any longer. Thus, it tends to lean away from her, which does not deter Lily.

In fact, she cheers for her. "Dadu! Dadu!" she gargles.

"Just stay right there, Lily," Luan tells her as she climbs on a slow pace. "One foot after another."

The ladder starts to shake. Luan holds on to the bar above her, where the sliding steps are placed. Her weight drags it down, which causes her to slide down and land to the floor. Due to the force, the upper part of the latter slides down to the same but sends it propelling to the top until it hits the catwalk that causes Lily to drop down.

Luan catches her on time and the ladder folds exactly at that moment, giving a well-polished slapstick trick.

On her very step, Luan realizes that she landed on the very stage where Saturday Night Live hosts stood to give a good time for the audience. She can almost imagine an applauding crowd in front of her. With that, she exclaims, "And that's a step up to comedy! Hehehe! Get it? But don't worry. You don't have to be studios to study comedy. Hehehe!"

Suddenly, a voice from the darkened part of the studio tells her, "That's brilliant blend of physical comedy and wordplay. What's your name, sweetie?"

"Uhmmm Luan Loud?" she hesitatingly answers.

The man with the voice steps out from the shadows, revealing himself to be somewhat significant in Luan's field of expertise. With his white hair, his exposed forehead, his snazzy suit, his posture and his seasoned appearance, she easily recognizes him. "Are you…L…?"

"Would you want to join the cast of Saturday Night Live?"

It is almost like a dream to really hear that question. But Luan hears that question with her very own ears. And she cannot help but be speechless from this offer. "Buhhh…buh…really? I mean I have to audition first and do stand-up, but really?"

* * *

While that is going on, after the meeting, Lincoln, Lori and Lisa step out of the unauthorized zone of the drugstore and exit the premises. But they see Lucy still distracting the customers and the staff. They still can hear her being dramatic in the blandest way possible. "Oh, the agony."

"Lucy, let's go. Mission done," Lincoln tells her.

"Oh, good. I was getting to the part where I summon the crows," Lucy says as she stands up to meet with the rest, which shocks the patrons.

"What?! She's okay now?!" one of them gasps.

The group then wait outside for the crowd to give them a little bit of room to explore. But Lori is still at odds with Lincoln after the debacle.

"So, anyone tell us of our next line of activity?" Lisa breaks the ice. "Because I am utterly expecting being chaperoned to the United Nations Assembly Building, not the Model United Nations."

"I'll take you there, Lis," Lori confirms to her. "Let's just take this two to the hotel. They're grounded."

At that note, Lincoln becomes guilt-ridden for nearly botching Lori's meeting.

But Lucy spots something very out-of-place. She points, "I sense someone unusual."

"You see dead people. We know," Lincoln replies stubbornly.

"Not them. Them." Lucy then points to some men on trench coats and bowler hats – seven of them – surrounding their path. They are in dispersed positions; but given that they occupy the left, right and front directions, the men persistently position themselves on blocking their way. They stand there, waiting for the Louds' next move as the crowd of unsuspicious tourists, residents and bystanders pass by.

Lincoln notices the suits and the shades they bear, almost like the Men in Black but ominous. He notices one goon communicating via radio on his collar.

"We got them," the goon says.

" _How many?_ " the man from the other line asks him.

"Four of them, boss."

" _That makes them six. Catch them and find the four others. We already have a position of Lynn Loud. Begin operation._ "

With that, the main goon signals the other men to catch them, and off they go.

"They're gonna catch us!" Lisa yelps.

"Come on inside!" Lori tells them.

Hurriedly, they return to the drugstore and shut the door locked. Lincoln also rushes to the other secure door from the staff area and locks it to.

The goons keep banging the door to get in, frightening the Louds and the patrons.

"What's going on?" a female patron asks in panic.

"What did they want from us?" another patron asks fearfully.

Immediately, the proprietor of the drugstore, named Shang, fetches them. "This way! Hurry!"

The four siblings follow him hurriedly.

After failing to break in, the goons barge in to the adjacent building to get access to the rooftop. And from there, they infiltrate the drugstore's rooftop using the vents.

Back to the Louds, Shang takes them to the lower rooms of the establishment. And for their stop, he leads them to a hidden storage room of Polynesian taro towards a manhole. "The way out, here."

"Into the sewers?" Lori reacts. "Are you literally serious, Shang?!"

"There's no other way out," he explains.

"How about through the alleyways behind this establishment?" Lisa asks.

"No way. If you must know, those men work for the most powerful landlord in the neighborhood. When they confront you, usually you are in big trouble. But I know you are innocent." Shang then opens the manhole lid for the Louds.

The stench immediately follows out of the opening, stinging the nostrils of the siblings and making them cover their noses.

"Oh, such repulsive mixture of human excretory materials, unconsumed perished goods and radioactive waste components!" Lisa exclaims.

"You have to be too descriptive about that," Lucy utters.

But they suddenly hear the goons' footsteps roaming around the unauthorized zone.

"What about Farhad?" Lori asks Shang.

"Don't worry. We kept them safe," he assures. "Now go!"

Lincoln voluntarily goes first in diving to the hole. But before he does, he could almost see contempt on his sisters' face. She is still upset about the events that transpired.

"Here goes nothing!" Like that, he jumps to the sewers.

Lori follows him, "Geronimo!"

Lisa goes next, "Fandango!"

And Lucy jumps lastly without uttering any screaming catchphrase.

Immediately, Shang closes the cover, surrounds it with pieces of barley hay and places wooden crates above it to hide them from the approaching goons. He himself hides in a crate full of taro as the goons barge right in the basement. They do a routine search for them, to no avail.

"Nothing sir!" the secondary goon reports.

The primary goon clenches his teeth in frustration. He then commands his troops, "They are still around Chinatown. Search in every house and every establishment. Find those kids now!"

With that, the seven of them disperse around the block and authoritatively do routine searches on each establishment. Luckily (or unluckily) for them, they possess NYPD-approved security clearances for them to legally infiltrate every establishment on their vicinity. They keep searching but they find no sign of them.

* * *

Back to the Louds, the sewers signal the start of a miserable detour on their trip. Lincoln opens the flashlight from his phone to light their way. "Lori, Lucy, Lisa, are you in here?"

"Yes, literally we are Lincoln," Lori tells him, which causes him to turn his flashlight on her eyes. She lowers the light down, "You don't need to do that."

The four of them glance on the hollowness and the agedness of the New York sewage line. The adobe brick lining gives the vibe of the old-fashioned New York that they can mostly associate with. The biggest upset is the minimal flowing water that they are standing on.

Lori then vents about what transpired, "This is just great! I was literally on the verge of my excellent work on diplomacy. That is till my sneaky little brother nearly sabotaged the whole thing! And now we're being chased by a bunch of bad guy goons who want to kill us! CAN'T THIS TRIP GET ANY WORSE?!"

Lisa immediately covers her sister's venting mouth. "Lori, do not dare reach your voice range to 99 decibels! Your modulation might inevitably release sewage waters to the pipelines!"

"Oh, would you quit that old wives tale, Lisa?" the sister replies vehemently. "Why would something from the movies happen inexplicably?"

Just like that, they hear a pipe open and in a gush, sewage water flows right from their spot.

"RUN!"

The four flee away from the rushing waters. But it is too late that they are swept by the rising waters. Lincoln tries to catch Lucy and Lisa, but the current drags him away from them.

Ultimately, he latches on to a nearby ladder, grabbing it tighter as much as he can to avoid being swept away completely. He hangs on to the third step to provide on the rushing pipe waters. "LUCY! LISA! LORI!" He calls them but he never gets an answer. "LUCY! LISA! LORI! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

After a while, Lori passes him and reaches out her hand. "Lincoln! Help me!"

Immediately, he grabs her hand and pulls her to the ladder. They both catch their breaths after being utterly consumed by the sewer waters. It is an already out-of-nowhere sequence that placed them both in even terms.

Lincoln acknowledges her, "Guess New York can't handle us."

Lori coughs out the water, but replies, "Yeah, I supposed so. Sorry for venting about what you did. I didn't mean that. Maybe I was expecting more since I worked hard. I kind of got jerkish to you."

"I was also jerkish about you. About being so suspicious at you." They then exchange embraces.

All the while, the sewage waters lower down, giving way for the left and right walkways to appear. At that rate, the two flash their cellphone lights and search for two of their sisters.

"LUCY! LISA!" they both call out to them. But they do not answer back. "LUCY! LISA!"

Lori slightly vents, "Just great! How can we find them in the sewers?"

Lincoln then suggests, "Maybe if we can give out a familiar tune, they may come to us."

"How can that work?"

"Like this." Clearing his throat, Lincoln sings, " _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…_ "

"Lincoln," Lori calls him out.

But he keeps singing jollily.


	9. Chapter 9

Meanwhile, Leni and Lola walk back to their room after a whole day of shopping spree. After getting off the elevator to their floor, they continue chatting, "Well, that was certainly a good way to spend your online coupons."

"I know right," Leni stresses. "I have been telling this to that guy on the counter at H&M. He keeps denying that they receive discounts. But I keep telling him to visit the site. How ignorant that was."

"Let him be. But at least the management apologized on his behalf and we got free dresses!"

The girls then hoot aloud with the blowout they receive.

"I am seriously going to blog about this!" Leni squeals. "Maybe after dinner."

"Speaking of which, I could use some appetite back in our room."

But the girls suddenly notice two guys in trench coats who are breaking into their room.

"Who are those?" Lola asks rhetorically. She then tells Leni, "Hold these bags." And so, she marches to the goons, who are messing their belongings around.

One fat goon communicates to his radio, "No sign of them here."

" _Find them around the city. They must be around. Over_ ," the goon from the other line says.

"Hey, who are you?!" Lola squeals.

"It's the girl. Get her!" the fat goon orders to the thinner goon.

The latter goon tries to grab her. But Lola leaps from her position and hops on top of the heads of the goons to land on the bed nearest to the window.

The two goons quickly grab her, but Lola keeps ricocheting across the walls of their room. But as one goon nearly grabs her foot. She lands her elbow to the fat goon's head, knocking him down to the thinner goon. The latter goon tries to get up, but Lola punches him in the face, a final blow for those goons.

"That should teach you!"

Leni then runs to the room and sees the damages that plagued their hotel room. "O-M-GOSH! What happened here?"

"These guys!" Lola points to the goons.

"Oh no! They must be terrorists!"

But Lola shushes her older sister. "Quiet Leni! We don't want to cause a scene. We must know who these guys are." She then searches for signs of their wallets but finds the fat goon's radio. The device is still transmitting the communication from the network of goons that they belong to. With that, they overhear everything.

" _Red three to blue five, over! Can you read me, over!_ "

" _Sir, they must be compromised._ "

" _That does it! Blue three, send your units to the room. Over and out!_ "

"What does that mean?" Leni asks, mongering fear for Lola.

Suddenly, they overhear footsteps from their floor. Lola and Leni check outside for any traces of it. But Lola, with her knowledge of late-night TV binging, deduces what is to come, "They're here!"

The reinforcements of the other goon rushes to their floor and barges in to their room. They spot the two goons that were knocked out but no sign of the girls.

One of the goons inspects the vital signs of their fellow men. "Still alive, boss."

The main boss, a short-statured guy with a Napoleon complex, instructs them. "Then search for the gorls. They're still around, hiding."

At his order, the goons turn their room upside down, throwing the mattresses and barging to their cabinets for any trace of them. "None boss!" one goon confirms.

However, one tough goon is about to check out the bathroom. But the knob is locked that he attempts to turn it back and forth for any chance to barge in. In last resort, he kicks the bathroom door.

But behind, Leni and Lola are obviously hiding in the bathtub, covering their mouths in fear.

"This was never part of the plan!" Lola mumbles to herself. "I'm too young to die!"

Leni then discovers a way to escape. "Lola, you watch those night-late movies, right?"

"When dad is there with me. Why?"

The older sister then points to the vent shaft above them.

Sooner, the tough goon busts in to the bathroom but sees no sign of the girls. He searches at the bathtub area and spots the vent filter open. "Dang it! They escaped!"

Yet suddenly, Leni knocks him out from behind, using the vent filter that she removed.

"Not what I have in mind, but not bad," Lola commends her.

Right away, the two sisters flee out of their room. The goons sense their presence and go after them.

"Get them!" the short goon orders his men, prompting five of the baddies to capture the sisters.

The girls take the fire exit and race from several staircases to escape. The goons catch up in breakneck pace.

With no choice, Leni and Lola enter the 5th floor premises.

Leni then spots a chute tube. "Hey Lola! Look!"

"Leni, this is no time for sightseeing!"

"No, it's a portal that we can escape to!"

"Are you insane? Who knows where will that lead us to?"

However, they begin to hear loud footsteps coming from the metal steps on the staircase.

With that, Lola is easily convinced. "Go to the chute! I just hope it is a laundry one!" She pushes her sister to the tube and jumps along with her. It takes one slippery yet fun slide for them to go from the chute entrance to a dumpster.

Lola cannot help but vent, "Great! Just great! First, that idiot cashier! Second, those goons! Now, garbage! Garbage, Leni!"

"We can always get off of it," she notes.

"It's still garbage, Leni! Now, I need a full-hour bath next."

After they get off the rotting dumpster, the two plan to return their stinky selves to their room. But they spot other goons (or valets in trench coats) entering the building.

"Or we could wait it out until they are gone," Lola retracts.

Thus, they head to the other direction.

"Where should we go?" Leni asks.

"Let's call the rest," Lola suggests.

* * *

Back with Lincoln and Lori, they are continually searching for Lisa and Lucy while finding a way out of the sewers. Lincoln keeps humming the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ theme while Lori lights the way. It kind of gets on her nerves when Lincoln continually lodges that familiar theme to her head once more.

"Lincoln, as much as it's nice that you lighten up the mood, it's starting to get annoying."

"Why? Don't you want it over a hollow silence of nothing?"

"It's just literally we need to concentrate looking for our sisters. I don't want things to get any worse."

Suddenly, Lori steps on an organic matter which frightens her. The matter emerges, revealing it to be a mutated alligator, with long claws, sharp south and four eyes.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The two then flee away from the scene like cartoon coyotes.

"Crocodiles?! Why the heck there are crocodiles in the sewers!" Lori screams.

"Don't you read the articles?" Lincoln replies loudly.

"I literally know! But I never thought they would be real!"

In a twisted turn, the alligator suddenly stands upright and chases after them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The two then spot a nearby ladder and they climb on top of it. They reach the manhole at the top and try to budge themselves out of the sewage line.

"Lori, push! 1…2…3…!"

With that, they escape from the manhole and shut it immediately.

"That was literally close," Lori utters.

Suddenly, they discover a kid with an ice cream, having witnessed their escape from the manhole. It is kind of awkward for them to let that kid see that they are in comical peril.

"You didn't see anything," Lincoln says to the kid.

But Lori brushes it off, walking away. "Let's go. Let's just go back to the hotel."

Lincoln is not pleased with her suggestion. "What?! But what about Lucy and Lisa? They could still be under the sewers!"

"I know! I literally know! But you saw that alligator trying to chase us! Look Lincoln, I am worried about them as much as you are. And I just hope they are literally doing just fine."

* * *

In contradiction to what Lori has claimed, back in the sewers, Lucy and Lisa get chased by a swarm of feral rats. The two are running for their lives, trying to reach for a way to escape.

"This is why a curious scientist should not mess on the habitat of a colony of _rattus norvegicus_!" Lisa actively admits.

"Now's not the time to admit crimes!" Lucy tells her.

Lisa then spots something. "Wait, I think I spotted illumination from that distance."

"Let's go!"

They turn the right side of the sewers, in chances of escape. As it turn out, they reach the end of a sewer pipeline, leading to a pool of sewage.

"Oh dear, that's rather unsanitary," Lisa utters.

But they also consider the rats who are after them.

"I'd rather have that over leptospirosis and rabies," Lucy says.

"Points for considering potential sicknesses, dear sister."

With that, they leap towards the pool of sewage water. The rats stop chasing them from there as they witness the two jump for their lives to their safety? But they quickly swim out of the reservoir and dry themselves on the premises of the sewage plant.

"Okay, now that the wild goose chase has gone to a halt, what is our next disposition?" Lisa asks her older sister.

"Why are you asking me? I am not a genius like you," Lucy replies.

"Admittedly, even though this human proponent possesses an Einstein level of intellectuality, I have yet to possess leadership skills. I basically skipped some leadership trainings at college to fulfil my penguin observations program."

"But why are you counting on me?"

"I may display at the expense of my credibility, but…" Lisa then hugs Lucy as she tries to hold her fears. "…I am kind of scared now."

"Sigh…" Lucy pats her sister's head. "We can just check where we are now."

After a while, Lisa lets go off her sister from her embrace. After which, they exit the reservoir premises to see a sunset sky shining to their eyes. They glance over the building's exterior but it does not help. However, Lisa obverses several fishing ships around them.

"It may not be a wild guess but I believe we are at the New York City Pier," Lisa deduces.

"You don't say," Lucy utters as she witnesses a container ship unloading container vans below. It is kind of wondrous for them to see a pier this active, even during sundown.

Some workers are proceeding to their direction, making it a warning.

"Maybe we should run before we get caught," Lucy suggests.

"Good deduction," Lisa implies.

With that, they flee out of the pier in hopes to make it back with the rest in the hotel.


	10. Chapter 10

Meanwhile, Luna wakes up from being knocked out. The first thing that she sees are anything but safe. Dimly lighted, egregiously disorganized and metallically smelly, the rocker realizes that she is in a warehouse. But she also senses her hand tied up from behind, her legs tied up to the chair legs and her mouth wrapped with a paisley handkerchief.

She tries to move her mouth to release her mouth from the cover. But she hears some goons walking by. The 15-year-old stops and pretends to stay passed out. After they pass by without noticing her from the other room, Luna successfully releases the handkerchief off her mouth.

Next, she tries to break out from her bounds. Suddenly, she hears mumbles from her right side. Luna checks it to be none other than her sister Lana. "Lans, Lana, pssst…Lana," she tries to call her, even though her eyes and her mouth are wrapped with handkerchiefs.

Luna tries to release her leg from the bonds, but due to extra force, she suddenly falls at Lana's lap. This allows her to bite the handkerchief off Lana's mouth.

Lana catches her breath after. "What happened? Who goes there?"

Luna shushes her first. "Quiet dude, I'm trying to figure out where we are."

"Luna, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Oh for all I thought, it's a talking frog undercover to save me."

"Why would you think of…never mind. We need to find our way out of here."

"Where the heck are we?"

"I don't know. Some bad guys' warehouse or something."

Suddenly, they hear voices echoing their way. Luna freezes to try to pick up from the goons' hubbub. Then, one statement of a goon draws to her: He says, " _If we ain't gonna have them by tonight, the boss will surely lose his prize money. We need to find those Louds. Pronto! Including that sauerkraut girl Lynn Loud._ "

"They really plan to kidnap us," Luna tells Lana. "We need to get out of here and warn the rest!"

"I got this," Lana assures. She then pulls out a screw driver from her suspender pants and hands it to Luna. "Bite it quietly and make sure the bite marks are sharp."

"What do you plan to…?"

"Just do it!"

Unsurely, Luna follows Lana's suggestion and bites the screw driver by the neck. After doing so, Lana uses it to slice through her arm bonds until she is free. She quietly takes off the handkerchief off her eye and assists Luna from untying the rope and handkerchief bonds.

"That do the trick."

"Okay, let's go."

Just in the nick of time, two goons notice them escaping.

"Hey! You two! What are you doing?!" one fat goon exclaims

"Let's go, Lana!" Luna then takes one chair and crashes it to the window behind them. Lana then hurriedly ties their ropes together and around the chair before they plummet below, with the rope supporting their drop. Unfortunately, they hit at the dumpster below before the goons catch them.

"OUCH!"

"Maybe next time, we do it less extreme," Lana groans as she gets up from the curb.

But more goons from the warehouse are in pursuit of the girls.

"No time for less extreme, sis!" Luna gasps before they make a run for it.

The two sisters flee out of the blocks until the goons are nowhere out of sight. They make their way to a basketball court, surrounded by a metal fence. But luckily, there are no boys playing. The two then sluggishly make their way to a concrete bench and rest there.

"That was too close," Lana pants.

"Where the heck are we anyway?" Luna asks herself.

The two see nothing but identical adobe apartments that occupy every street and every corner. Basing on their findings, they stumble on Harlem. But they would never guess that.

"Well, one thing for sure. Out of those crooks," Lana says.

"We gotta call Lori and the rest," Luna suggests.

They then find a phone booth and lock themselves in.

"Man, if I only brought Hops with me from the hotel," Lana surmises.

But Luna has a bigger problem with the telephone. "Dude, I don't know how to call from this thing."

"You just have to push the buttons for the number, and you call."

"I just did push the buttons, sis. Nothing still. It's just a long dud."

Lana then notices the coin slot. "Oh dang it! We need a dollar coin. But I think I have." She pulls out the contents of her pocket to only see a wad of chewing gum, a chewed-up paper clip, a token for the arcade, a worn-out ticket and a nickel. "Nope. Nothing." Trying to find spots for a possible coin, she checks out a park bench outside and scans the seat below. To her delight, she finds one, smudged in green apple chewing gum. She gives it to Luna, "Here you go."

"Well, at least we have a dollar," she replies. With that, she dials to Lori.

* * *

Back at Luan and Lily, they just finish their studio tour and live audience invitation from the Rockefeller Center. They step out through the Rainbow Room Entrance with souvenirs in their hands.

Luan checks out her watch to see the clock struck at 4:50 PM. "10 minutes before 5, eyy? Maybe we can drop by at the cool skating rink. I guess it will be a feast for the ice. Hahaha. Get it?"

Suddenly, a tired and subdued Lincoln and Lori walk across her, surprising her at an instant. They both groan in pain.

"Lincoln! Lori! What the heck happened to you?! Why you both looked so tired?" Luan asks.

"It's literally a long, long story," the elder sister rants.

"I can tell. You don't even have slippers."

"Don't mention that to me, Luan."

"We just had a long day. Might as well get back to the hotel," Lincoln says.

Abruptly, Lori's drenched phone rings. She picks it up, but not before wiping the sewer water off her mobile device. "Hello. Death row in line speaking."

" _Lori, we need help right now! Me and Lana don't know where we are!_ " Luna calls from the other line.

"Luna, I kept telling you to use my map for New York, but you didn't," Lori groans.

" _No, seriously dude, we got kidnapped. But goodness, we escaped._ "

"Kidnapped?"

" _I know. By some…Italian goons straight out of a gangster movie._ "

"Strange. We got cornered by goons like that."

"I know! Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard!"

But another call interrupts them. Lori immediately answers, "Hello, who may be this, not this time!"

Leni loudly answers from her line, " _Lori, it's me and Lola too. Though Lola is not talking…_ "

" _Just get to the point!_ " the 6-year-old screeches.

" _Some bad guys went to our hotel!_ "

"WHAT?!"

" _Yeah, some old school guys who are straight out the 80's barged in to the hotel._ "

Just to raise the ante of the situation, another call reaches to Lori's phone. She answers it quickly, "What is it now?!"

Lisa answers from that line, " _Apologies for the unforeseen interference but we have no preexisting street knowledge to determine our current location._ "

Lori feels the pressure growing inside as more of their problems grow and the threat that is looming around them in New York becomes clear. "Hang on Lisa. Everyone in speaker phone. Now. And don't be that loud." When she does, she asks her sisters, "GUYS, DO YOU LITERALLY HEAR ME?"

"YES!" they answer.

"Good, obviously, there are bad guys chasing for some reason. And our room is being rummaged by bad guys, as of this point. That's why we need to work together and fast!"

" _Fine with me_ ," Luna replies.

" _Wait, are we all in this call?_ " Leni asks.

Lincoln then hastily gives a head count, "Well, me, Lori, Luan and Lily are here. Then, there's Lisa and Lucy. Luna and Lana. Then, Lola and Leni."

" _Wait, where's Lynn?_ " Lucy asks.

" _Isn't she in that baseball game?_ " Lola brings up.

"Yankee Stadium. She told me," Lori confirms. "Alright, Luna, Lana, you're closest to her, location-wise. Get to Yankee Stadium and fetch Lynn. And don't get caught."

"But we ain't got money here, dude!" Luna brings up.

"This is life and death, Luna. You can do something about it! Okay, Leni, Lola, we might have relatives in New Jersey. We got to find their address."

" _But we don't know their address,_ " Leni says.

" _I think she meant to say to find a way to get their address,_ " Lola thinks. " _Which is worse._ "

"Lisa, Lucy, find a police station and report this to the authorities."

" _Affirmative,_ " Lisa confirms.

"Me, Lincoln and Luan will try to get back to the hotel to see if it is safe."

"But what if there are bad guys there?" Lincoln raises.

"Then we run! We're just there to check if it is safe!"

But Lincoln still gulps in fear from the danger that they are in.

"Okay guys, we need to do this fast! Call me at 6 if you got anything. And don't get caught!" After that, Lori hangs up and sprints to the hotel. Lincoln and Luan, looking really concerned, catch up with her on her pursuit.

The rest of the sisters do their own assignments: Lucy and Lisa search for a nearby police station or a police cruiser around the pier area; Leni and Lori, having accidentally stumbled on the Union Square, try to find a way for access to the Internet; and Luna and Lana, who remain inside the phone booth, try to find ways to get to the Yankee Stadium.

* * *

But back to the latter, when they see the coast is clear, Luna and Lana emerge from the booth and proceed to the nearest subway station. They see the ticket booth, e-ticket loading machines and the turnstile before the actual subway train platform.

"So, do we hop above the gates?" Lana suggests. "I can distract with fleas."

"No dude," Luna says. "We had enough trouble for one day." She then hears a freelance guitarist playing "Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys for keeps. By that, she forms an idea.

Being the musician that she is, Luna borrows the guitar from him and plays an impromptu song.

 _My family ain't with me_

 _They're all I want to see_

 _If only there's a chance_

 _With this cool song and dance_

Luna keeps strumming that song until a crowd huddles up. Lana is kind of timid to participate in their stunt but her sister encourages her.

 _My family ain't with me_

 _They're all I want to see_

 _If only there's a chance_

 _With this cool song and dance_

Soon feeling the joy, Lana joins her.

And as expected, they get a round of applause and cash.


	11. Chapter 11

After raising money from the subway and also splitting the money to the owner of the guitar, Luna and Lana board the next subway train to the 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station. They will need to pass three subway lines in order to get to Yankee Stadium from Harlem. But with a few people inside the transit, both of them slam their bodies comfortably to the nearest seat.

"That was a relief," Luna remarks. "I thought we stay trapped in that part of town. It was so hot."

"Yeah, me too," Lana replies.

"Well, we got enough money to get to the Yankees. Glad that dude with the guitar has a map for us." She then shows Lana a guidebook to New York City.

Lana has her attention towards the book. "Ooohh, let me see."

Luna then slips to the pages and stumbles upon the MTA Subway Map. "So we are at Harlem. Then we are in the red line. Oh, that's one long red line. Then, we need to hop into the trains at the blue. Then yellow till we get to Harlem. Man, this will take a while to get to Lynn."

"Well, at least no other goons are after us."

"Goons?!" When Lana brings up about the goons, Luna cautiously looks around the car that they are in. She checks from her right and her left, and sees no sign of the goons. She just takes notice of the rapid speed of the train, imagining herself to be static in her place while the car moves around her. "Phew…nothing. Well, we can relax, dude. It's been a hard day's afternoon."

Lana leans on to her sister as the train traverses to its path. Minutes go by, and she randomly brings up to Luna, "Hey Luna…"

"Yes Lans?"

"For all the craziness we have been through, I'm so glad I get to spend it with you. You are a great and fun sister." Lana culminates her gratefulness with a hug to Luna.

Luna then returns the gesture with an embrace. "That's great, Lans. Thank you."

It takes the sister around an hour to travel to three different lines to get to the Yankee Stadium station. On the spots along the way, they stop by for snacks at the Shake Shack and buy some cheap New York souvenirs. But they keep a low profile to avoid being detected by goons.

Right then, when they arrive at the station, Luna and Lana rush themselves to the stadium, buying tickets and getting to the platform. They just get there in time as the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is still ongoing. There is one major problem though: they do not know where Lynn is.

As they glance at the entire stadium, it is too overwhelming for them.

"How will we find Lynn at this rate?" Lana asks her sister.

"I have no idea, dude," Luna replies. "It's like finding a groupie from a crowd dive."

Lana then raises an eyebrow, not getting Luna's reference.

"It's rock-and-roll slang," Luna clarifies. "But that's not the point. It would take weeks to find her."

Lana helps her sister on formulating an idea. But she then remembers the contents in her pocket. "I think I have an idea."

Right away, the two of them search for a guard dog around the stadium premises. They eventually find one with his guardian, manning the station to another section in the stadium.

Lana points at the German shepherd just sticking out its tongue. "There he is, chained in misery. Now we just need to release him."

"Wait, do you want to release a guard dog?" Luna asks.

"No, we'll just borrow him."

"Are you nuts?"

"Just trust me or else we'll not find Lynn."

"Fine." Reluctantly, Luna distracts the guard. "Hey dude, I am just wondering where can you find my seats?" She asks him for directions and then pads the discussion with bottomless thoughts about the stadium's concessionaries.

Lana meanwhile quietly sneaks out of the guard's sight and approaches the dog. She pats him on its head to calm him down, then massages its back. Sneakily, she releases him from its leash but grabs it by the snout the moment it walks away. "Easy there boy. We need your help." Lana then pulls out a wad of bubble-gum from her pocket. On her deduction, she thinks it belonged to Lynn, and the 6-year-old just takes it out from the seat Lynn placed at as an emergency adhesive. "Sniff this out. Come on, boy."

The dog then secretes the stench of the gum. And it immediately detects the whereabouts of Lynn.

"You got her, boy?"

It nods its head.

"Come on!" Lana hops onto the dog's back and rides it as they find for Lynn.

But when it barks, the guard turns his head. "What the?"

But Luna catches his attention on time. "Wait dude, I was just gonna ask…uhmm…where can we get souvenirs?"

Like a knight on a horse, Lana goes on the run as the dog hops from one seat to another, dodging but bothering people along the way. They even hit a popcorn vendor.

"Oops sorry!" Lana apologizes.

* * *

But shift to Lynn Jr. as she is fully relaxed at her seat, munching down on cheese popcorn, Nathan's Famous hotdogs and bottomless soda. "Now this is the life. For the moment. When we get home, time to lose these carbs away."

The seats to her left and right are empty, even with a large capacity of people.

Suddenly, two guys in shades and suits occupy the two seats at her right. Their intimidating presence raises an eyebrow to Lynn. "Woah…hello dudes. Glad I needed the company."

The men face her stone-faced and serious.

"Ooookay…"

Then, someone to her left tells her, "Don't mind about my men. They just have seen the Yankees play for a while."

Lynn looks upon that person who calls her out. He is short-statured, sharply dressed and fancy. He has blond hair that surrounds his ball-cap. And his fingers are covered in different rings. But basing on the tone of his voice, he is presumably Italian-American. Though, Lynn is not able to figure this out. "Uhmm, okay. Who are you?"

"Sorry if I may but I'm a respectable man of Manhattan and it's nice to see a respectable figure from Michigan to visit the city and importantly, to watch the Yankees," the gentleman says suavely.

"Well, I like the Yankees. I mean I get inspiration from them."

"Good. So, it means you have your hand on the bat and the ball like a true player like…Yogi Berra, Babe Ruth…"

"Keep talking."

"I am a sports agent on my own. I can get you contracted to a great agency. And you may get to play to any team you wish. Any team. You name it."

Obviously, with that offer that big, Lynn cannot help but squirm inside.

The gentleman keeps talking, "We watched your every game, Lynn Loud Jr. You have a knack in the field. And not just the field. The court, the stadium, the ice. You are a pro, Loud. So…"

"So wait, let me get this straight. You are offering to represent me so I can be on any sports team I wish? And you can make that legit?"

"Well, conditions apply, but I suppose you won't mind it since you'll always drool for anything sports-related. Isn't that right?"

But as he looks back at her, Lynn is already drooling like a waterfall.

"Not as literal as I thought it would be. So, Lynn, do we have a deal?"

Lynn then shakes her head back to normalcy and thinks about this once-in-a-lifetime deal. "Hmmm that sure is a good offer but…"

Right immediately, Lana and the dog leap towards the men and lands in front of Lynn.

"LYNN!"

"Lana? What are you doing here?"

"No time to explain! We have to get out of here!"

"Why? I'm about to make a deal with an agent here…"

But Lana insists. "LYNN, THERE ARE BAD GUYS CHASING US!"

Knowing this blows their cover, the gentleman, of course associated with the goons, calls out, "All units, proceed to the fourth level! Apprehend Lynn Loud now!"

Immediately, more goons in sharp suits emerge from the exits and catches after the girls.

"What's going on?" Lynn asks.

"Just hop on!" Lana tells her.

But the dog obviously cannot take the weight of them both. Thus, Lynn grabs the dog to her right arm and Lana to her left and sprints away. She hops from one seat after another, stepping on some people's heads if needed. "Sorry. Pardon. Excuse me." They safely get to the passage way below the level and head to the nearest exit.

However, there are more goons from the inside, who chase after them.

"I never expected my visit to the Yankees would end in a chase!" Lynn complains. "What do these guys want?"

"How would I know?" Lana answers back.

But more goons block their way. They soon corner the sisters to a wide-access fire exit.

Though the dog leaps out of Lynn's arm and growls at them.

"Should we tranquilize the dog, sir?" one goon asks.

"No, it's a cop dog," another goon answers. "We just need to be nice and easy."

However, with its threatening face, it soon leaps towards one fat-nosed gun and attacks him. The goons try to apprehend the dog, only for them to pile over each other.

"Go Bruno Go!" Lana cheers.

"Okay, we can do that later," Lynn says. "Where do we go now?"

"Luna! We have to get to her!"

With that, the sisters take the flight of stairs en route to reunite with their sister.

* * *

But back to her, she is still chatting with the guard. This time, their discussion revolves on the guard's experience on watching Yankees v. Red Sox games. "It was wonderful…" he quotes.

Right on time, Lana and Lynn fetch her.

"Luna, we gotta go! Now!" Lana says.

"Oh sorry dude. But thanks for the talk. You're a great one!" Luna then taps his shoulder in thanks.

"Anytime, ma'am," the guard replies, seeing them on the rush. "Happy to listen to your music later."

Afterwards, the three rush out of the stadium and search for transport out of the area.

"Should we take the train?" Lana asks.

"No, too slow, dude. We'll get caught easily," Luna replies.

"Or we could get a taxi?" Lynn suggests after spotting a taxi nearby with no driver.

"A taxi?"

The goons, three or more, finally spot them and chases after them.

"We're on the run. Let's go!" Luna gasps.

The three hijack the taxi, with Lynn and Lana taking the back and Luna taking the front. They then lock the doors.

"Where the heck is the driver of this thing?" Lynn complains.

Suddenly, a goon jumps towards the hood of the car, banging the windshield.

"WHAT SHOULD WE DO?" Luna shrieks.

"We have a driver now!" Lana then jumps to the driver's seat, turns the brakes and the shift gear in reverse before she steps on the accelerator pedals, speeding away.

"What are you doing? Stealing the car?!" Lynn shouts.

"We're just borrowing it!" Lana yelps.

But on an unprecedented turn of events, the goons fire guns at the taxi. The sisters duck their heads to avoid the shots, the first they hear in real life ever.

"GUNS! THEY HAVE GUNS!" Lynn screams.

"WE KNOW!" Luna shouts at her.

"GUYS, ANY OF YOU PLEASE FEET AT THE BRAKES SO I CAN DRIVE US AWAY!" Lana tells them.

At the height of panic, they move along with Lana's plan of escape. Luna moves her legs to the pedals and floors it. Lana then takes the gear shift and the steering wheel for them to escape as the goons keep firing them.

But the gentleman a while age tells them to stop. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Guns down! Now! We're not firing weapons to those kids! And you idiots are firing them in public! MORONS!"

"But sir?"

The gentleman immediately stops him from speaking. "Hep. No. We chase after them inconspicuously. We don't want to our upper bosses noticing this. Raise the emergency. We need to get those kids as soon as possible. Now!"

"Yes sir!" The goons then rush to their black sedans and chase after the three.

One goon then hands over a phone to the short-statured boss. "Mr. DeVito, it's the boss."

The gentleman takes the phone and answers, "Yes, Mr. Conway, we almost got them."


	12. Chapter 12

Meanwhile, Lincoln, Lori, Luan and Lily arrive at the premises of their hotel. However, they discover the entrance has been heavily guarded by goons, similar to the one they encountered in Chinatown. Because of that, they hide to a nearby foliage of an al fresco restaurant.

"Dang it! Those goons, they're everywhere," Lincoln utters. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I can't knock them down with these nails," Lori says.

Luan then quips, "I guess we have to wait for them till they are goon. Hahaha!"

The two glare at her threateningly.

"Sorry."

Lincoln then suggests, "Okay, I got it. We have to sneak from behind."

"Okay, and how are we gonna do that?" Lori asks.

The four cartoonishly peek their heads slowly to avoid detection. Then, in a matter of convenience, a maintenance worker leaves a laundry cart to the side, which prompts them to have an idea. Quietly, they tiptoe and ride on to the cart, burying themselves to the piles of smelly laundry.

"Watch it!" Lori angrily mumbles to Luan, who stepped on her face.

"Sorry," she replies.

Lincoln shushes them, "Quiet or we'll get caught!"

"Here he comes!" Luan gasps.

The worker then senses the weight of the cart. He would never think that his cart would get heavier at his push. Being an observant, he just pushes the cart inside the workers' zone and towards the bodega where the laundries are brought down from interconnected chutes. However, he moves this particular cart to the side, since the clothes are intended for a third-party washing.

As the worker leaves the cart, Lincoln and Lori comes first on quietly sneaking out of the cart to ensure the coast is clear. Once that comes to fruition, Luan follows from behind, with Lily in her arms.

They then takes the fire exit and walk in flights of stairs in order to get to their room. Obviously, with long flights of stairs, they drain out their energy.

"Lori, maybe next time, book a room that is lower…" Lincoln pants.

"Not this time, Link," Lori utters. She is able to reach the exit to the floor where their room is. Once she opens the door, the older Loud sister spots the same round of goons raiding their hotel room and confiscating their stuff. "What the?!" She immediately covers her mouth to avoid getting caught.

"What is it?" Lincoln asks.

"There are goons!" she mumbles to them.

After learning that news, they sneak their heads to spy in the doorway, watching helplessly for their stuff to be taken away.

"My, my, what do these guys want?" Luan asks rhetorically.

"I don't know, but it ain't good," Lori replies. "Plus, we might have all of our money there."

"WHAT?!" her two siblings gasp in shock.

But Lori shushes them. "Relax. If those twits will not freeze my credit card, we might still have a chance to get out of here."

Lily suddenly sneezes. "Achoo!"

Immediately, the goons hear that commotion and spots the children sneaking at them.

The main goon (a short, brawny type) tells them, "It's those kids! Get them!" Five goons then chase after them. But they shut the fire exit door and run towards the floor below them for a swift escape.

However, upon entering the halls of that floor, one thin goon blocks their way with a club. "You think you kids can escape from our hands now!"

In a matter of hastiness, the four of them push the goon to the wall and try to retrieve the club from his hand. Lily helps by biting the goon's right arm, allowing him to let go of his weapon.

Luan then takes the club and points it at him. She then interrogates him by lending a stereotypical Italian mob boss accent, "Alright, squirt, we ain't playing monkey business here."

"Luan, what are you doing?" Lincoln asks her.

"What? I'm just trying to internalize," Luan explains. "You have to blend in to understand them."

Lori reiterates, "They're not literally mob…"

But before she can finish her words, a couple of goons try to enter from a door next to them. But Lincoln and Lori block their way.

"Okay Luan! Just ask him he does he work for!" Lori tells her.

Getting into character, Luan talks to the goon, "Okay chum, me and my family here ain't playing around. So better tell us who you are working for. Or we'll yank that information right from your guts and into our hands."

Lincoln and Lori look at each other in bewilderment.

But the goon cannot take Luan's threat seriously. "Is this real? Is this real? You kinda funny really."

The goon and Luan laugh along at that call, even as the goons try to bust in.

However, in a turn of events, Luan strikes back to the goon. "Funny? Funny how?"

"What?"

Luan then goes all out Joe Pesci, "Tell me. Funny how? Like what? Like a clown? Do I amuse you?"

"Well…it's funny. You're just funny."

"You said I'm funny. How the heck am I funny, what the heck is so funny about me?"

Then dead silence comes in the way. In the same style of that Martin Scorses movie, a master of kid's movies, the two competing characters stop dead in their exchange, as well as Lincoln and Lori.

Eventually, the goon breaks the silence. "Get out!"

The two then burst in laughter that Luan suddenly lets go off the club, which falls to the goon's chest and triggers a sudden electric shock to him.

The kids realize that the club is actually a Taser.

"Huh? So, the club is actually a real weapon," Luan realizes.

Lori then takes her place. "Give me the club. You take the door." Once that is done, she confronts the goon, "Okay mister, I've been stressed out for the last six hours, and if you don't tell me who are working for, I'll be pointing this thing to one thing that you might find painful."

"Really? How can you dare threat me?"

But the goons keep budging through the door. Lincoln and Luan push the door more and more, even though it is left tattered. "LORI!" they warn her.

"Oh whatever!" Lori then tases the goon on his bottom, which already paralyzes him. Knocking him out, she takes his wallet and leaves with the rest.

The siblings run back to the fire exit that they escaped through and retreat to the basement. But upon their arrival, that is when their chase ends.

"What now?" Lincoln asks.

"I don't know, literally," Lori says.

Suddenly, a car in front of them starts its engine and flashes its lights on them. It turns out that one goon had gone past them and caught them in the basement floor. Right away, he speeds to the siblings, intending to hit them.

"RUN!"

Just like that, Lincoln, Lori and Luan carrying Lily get chased by one goon who intends to hit-and-run on them. The car speeds up, putting them in total jeopardy. They can even hear the goon laughing evilly to them.

"LORI, WHAT SHALL WE DO?" Luan asks in panic.

Under pressure, Lori suggests, "Split up guys. SPLIT UP!"

Just like that, Lincoln and Luan with Lily disperse from the path. This leaves Lori on the path of the car, which is really part of the plan.

She hurriedly sprints to the concrete wall ahead of her to form a distance away from the car. The goon's vehicle is already speeding towards her, triggering Lori to run towards the car! It is certified to be a collision for the older Loud sister. But she races towards the car like a sprinting animal.

"Lori, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Lincoln screams.

And just as the moment comes when the car targets her knees, Lori leaps above the hood and over the vehicle like a stuntman from _The Matrix_. She finally lands on the concrete floor in perfect fashion.

Her brother and her sisters have their jaws dropped, seeing their sister do that spectacle.

"Gym class. Never leave it."

The goon is amazed at her stunt, which prompts him to never realize that he is about to collide on the concrete wall. Sure enough, CRASHHHHHH! His car collides. And the goon is knocked out.

The four of them rush to the scene. They are just speechless at the effect of Lori's stunt.

Lincoln stutters in panic, "Oh my…Lori! You killed! You killed a man!"

"LINCOLN, WILL YOU CUT OUT? Don't you remember that he is trying to kill us," she vents.

Luan then checks his pulse. "Hold on. He's still alive."

Lori and Lincoln sign in relief.

However, they hear ramblings from the goons proceeding from the fire exit.

"We need to go but how?!" Luan shrieks.

In such pressure, they throw the goon's body out of the car and use the car as a getaway vehicle, despite the damages. It now proceeds in a getaway chase from the three.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lisa and Lucy locate a nearby police precinct in the harbor area. It takes a while to wait for their turn. And after an hour, they proceed their turn to the consultation desk. The office assigned seems to be an old drowsy man, judging by the drooping eyebags and brewing coffee. He speaks to them, "So, you little girlies are lost or something? You looking for your folks?"

"No, my respectable constable, but we have our sibling guardian, who is in legal age," Lisa explains. "But that is beside the point."

"Yeah sure, little girlie, you speak words that you shouldn't be speaking," the aged officer replies. Lisa is kind of blankly offended at that. "Let me see, you girls might have run off to the toy store to escape from your parents. Isn't that right?"

"There are no toy stores in this part of New York," Lucy clarifies, "Also this area is a dark place, where I belong."

The officer just shrugs it off, "Whatever. Let me just call the social welfare to pick you up." He then leaves his desk and proceeds to the cop's quarters.

Lisa and Lucy are annoyed from being scrutinized like that.

"Well, that sure is a credible call for help," Lisa expresses.

"I sense of imminent danger in this corrupt place," Lucy utters.

"And what do you supposed gobbledygook séance detection is that, dear sister?"

Rhythmically, a group of officers in familiar suits return to the precinct, tired from their latest escapade. One black officer groans, "Man, those kids run away like mice!"

"Don't worry there, stacks, we'll take them down," one Italian-American officer replies.

The two turn their heads behind to see a shocking discovery that left them speechless: the same goons that they spot in Chinatown are in the precinct.


	13. Chapter 13

Knowing that they are cornered, as soon as the goons recognize them, Lucy and Lisa try to formulate a plan of escape. Though, Lisa seems to be panicky than usual, "Okay, okay, never panic. You are a stable genius, and not deliberately quoting a delinquent world leader. Just think. Don't mess your thought in the brink of pressure. WHAAAA!"

But Lucy slaps her face to snap her back. "I hate to be inspiring one in this picture, but you have to get a hold of yourself!"

With that, Lisa is easily persuaded, "Okay…okay. I needed that. But slapping may lead to facial skin infection if the limb is not disinfected."

Once they spot the thugs shift their heads, they duck their heads to hide under the table.

"Any possible routes of escape?"

"Not entirely. Someone can notice us escaping through the vents."

"Oh great." But since Lucy brings that trope up, Lisa catches up on that inspiration. "Hmmm…this seems unorthodox. But I have to gather the least reliable resources of human integrity: pop culture."

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying that works of hyperbolic fiction can be a plausible source of inspiration for our escape. Now, we just need to recall how bad guys escape a police precinct."

Lucy follows along.

"Hmmm windows? No entirely. And there's one protagonist with a limp leg. But he was just dismissed. And later turned out to be the mastermind."

"Why not take the bathroom?"

"Through the sewage systems again?! Nope! We are done with encountering life-sized amoebas and E coli parasites that feed on sewer water carcasses."

But Lucy simply points at the precinct restroom that has an open window, giving a sense of relief from Lisa.

"Oh. Never expected that detour."

Just as soon as the goons walk paces near them, the two sisters sneakily escape en route to the bathroom. Never mind if the goons are in cahoots with the police or not. What matters is that one goon notices the chairs from the helpdesk spin by themselves, giving the impression that juvenile forces have been there.

Lisa quietly shuts the door and locks it, while Lucy opens the window. Realizing that they are in the 2nd floor, the escape route has a height to it.

"Okay, we never thought this through," Lucy remarks.

"Well, take the most extreme way possible," Lisa utters. She then takes the bathroom window curtain and ties them together to make a tangible rope. They then tie it to a fixed towel rack and drop themselves outside, as soon as the goon bangs the bathroom door.

"I know you kids are in there!" the goon intimidates them with his thick Italian accent.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Lisa tells Lucy as they hurtle down. However, the makeshift rope that they did is not enough to bring them down to the ground. "Oh, great. That was disastrous."

"We could aim for the bushes," Lucy suggests.

"Are you crazy? Only two blockheads with buff accents can only do such a stupid thing!"

But too late for them. They let go off the pulled-over curtains that they fall to the bushes below.

Lisa pushes herself out of the shrubs, spitting leaves from her mouth. "Just disingenuous of an escape." She spits more of the leaves that she almost chewed.

"At least we escaped," Lucy says.

"And we didn't get any help. Now, it is as if a citywide syndicate is after some innocent tourists from Royal Woods. Just hope nothing escalates from this."

Sure enough, they are ran over by a hurrying Leni and Lola.

"What the…?! Lisa?! Lucy?!" Lola shrieks.

"You two?! Where have you been?!" Lisa asks.

"Oh, we were just escaping," Leni answers.

"Us too," Lisa responds.

"The goons are in there. In the police station," Lucy clarifies.

"Oh great! Now the police and goons are together. Is that like corruption or what?!" Lola whines.

"Wait a minute, to whom you are running away from?" Lisa raises.

At that confrontation, Leni and Lola are too nervous to convey the truth.

"Well…" Lola utters.

It turns out that Leni and Lola borrowed a computer from a Power Mac Store to search for nearby relatives in the metropolis. However, they accidentally short circuited its charger that it causes a fire. Leni immediately throws a glass of water to the fire but it causes for one open extension to short circuit, causing a series of burnings in the store. They quickly escape with their needed info.

After they explain everything to their sisters, Lola lends a frown to Leni.

But the latter looks on the bright side. "Well, at least we found that Aunt Ruth has a sister who lives in New Jersey."

"I don't think that solves everything, Leni," Lola remarks.

Suddenly, the goons from the precinct spot them. "HEY YOU KIDS!"

"RUN!"

And with that comes a wild goose chase between the four Loud sisters and the two goons. But it gets worse when the main goon who notices Lisa and Lucy earlier calls for more backup. Thus, four more goons join the party.

The chase extends to wild obstacles that the sisters have to surpass. They pass by two men carrying an aquarium, but Leni hits her to the glass that causes a koi fish to flip and land in her mouth; yet, she spits it back to the aquarium.

They run towards an al fresco café, but Lisa accidentally tangles her shoes to the tablecloth, which she perfectly pulls out without breaking any glassware or porcelain. However, she bumps into the waiter holding expensive chowder. Sure enough, it spills to the ground.

They go through some bikers who are exiting a garage, but Lucy confronts one, whom she scares intensely with her poker face that the biker accidentally turns to ongoing traffic and hits a passing taxi. She just brushes it off.

They pass by a pet store selling exotic animals, which causes Lana to take pity and free the animals. Sure enough, the escaped animals affect passersby. But she signals for two crows to distract the goons.

And finally, they end up in a dead end, in the form of a seaside boardwalk.

"Where do we go now?" Lola asks them.

They wish to get back, but as they look from behind, the goons are catching up on them.

"No choice guys!" Leni then grabs Lola and Lisa before she and Lucy jump to the cold waters of the bay.

The thugs check the area they dive in but see no sign of them. For a double check, one thug grabs a net and plunges it to the water to sense no absolute sign of the girls.

"Are they lost, boss?" a goon redshirt asks.

"They just escaped," the main goon answers. "Call the boss. I think we might have a catch on these runaway brats."

* * *

As the sun goes down, each party is seemingly tired from being chased by somehow existing New York Mafioso. Leni gives out their distant aunt's address to New Jersey. Each party arrives to their aunt's secluded trailer property with an amount of distress.

Leni's party is the first one to arrive. After diving to the bay, they stayed underwater for a little while until the coast is clear. They spotted an abandoned fishing boat that they powered up, thanks to Lisa's unused knowledge of nautical transportation, and used it to get to their distant aunt's place.

"Shucks, you kids have a lot of explaining to do," their aunt reacts.

"Maybe later, aunty," Leni utters.

"Just call me, Aunt Rumer," she expresses with a belching laugh.

Later on, Luna's party arrives with their rummaged escape taxi. The vehicle is filled with bullet holes, smears, smoke marks and scratches. Luna, Lynn and Lana get down in the vehicle, with their hair raised and eyes twitching from the wild goose chase.

"I don't know if I can call it awesome or…not awesome," Lynn express. "But…" Just like that, she faints to the ground.

In the same manner as the rest of the sisters earlier, who slam their bodies to the comfy bed, Luna and Lana slams their heavy bodies to the only bed that is offered to them by Aunt Rumer.

And finally, Lori's party arrives through their escape vehicle, badly damaged from the collision in the parking basement and other crashes to the streets of New York. Luan gets down first, carrying Lily inside the trailer. Lori then stays in the car, drowning in misery after their supposed peaceful trip goes awry.

In response, as the empathetic heart to the siblings, Lincoln comforts her.

"You know how much you literally want this to be all about family bonding. And now, you are bonding with goons who are after you for whatever reason. It's just…I don't know. I don't know. I just know that I failed you all," she tearfully contemplates. Though, she tries to rid of the dramatic weight by blowing her nose.

"We're all in this together, Lori," Lincoln tells her. "Not in the _High School Musical_ kind of way. But, good or bad, we just have to keep our heads up."

Lori is glad that Lincoln reminds her off that. In return, she embraces him.

* * *

Inside the completely congested trailer, which only consists of a bed and a TV, the sisters try to calm themselves down by flipping the channels. But in true Loud fashion, they quarrel over the remote control until they switch to NY1, which is just giving a news report by an anchorwoman by the name of Karen Evans.

"Breaking News: The NYPD has called in an urgent announcement about the series of car chases and criminal escapes that plagued the city. Here's Commissioner Harmon with his statement:

'I call for a citywide emergency and vigilance for the following people, responsible for the shootouts in Chinatown, in Yankee Stadium and in the Ritz Hotel.'"

Right on time, Lori and Lincoln enter the room.

"Hey guys, what you checking out?" Lori asks.

Lynn then points to the TV screen, as they watch the gruff police commissioner gives his public announcement.

"'Here are their names:

Lori Loud = $7000 reward, if found

Leni Loud = $2500, if found

Luna Loud = $8000, if found

Luan Loud = $4000, if found

Lynn Loud = $10000, if found

Lincoln Loud = $6000, if found

Lucy Loud = $2000, if found

Lola Loud = $9000, if found

Lisa Loud = $10000, if found

Lily Loud = $1000, if found'

If you spot them, call 911 immediately. We will not let these criminals plague in our streets anymore. Zero tolerance must be done! No collusion!'"

Lynn turns the TV off.

Just like that, the siblings are utterly shock of being officially recognized as "criminals". And in unified motion, they faint to their backs.


	14. Chapter 14

The Louds are utterly panicky about them being labelled as "criminals". There are more people out there who are justifiable to be called as "criminals". But them being considered as a syndicate in the greatest city in the world is immediately a big blow.

As the barrage of news outlets report this detail, each of the Loud children contemplates her difficulty. Leni hugs her knees in fright; then she swipes Lily to embrace her like a stuff toy. Luna strums from a banjo she found nearby. Luan leans her head in the outside picnic table. Lynn unleashes her anger by going through some equipment in the shed of her aunt. Lucy has a hard time meditating. Lana stares at the marshy shoreline. Lola grunts as she watches the news. Lisa in her poker face stares at the sky.

Lincoln tries to keep his composure amidst the unlikeliest of misfortunes they have encountered. He soon spots Lori moping by the slope overlooking the Hudson Bay. He walks to her and consoles to her, "Lori, I am sorry things didn't go your way. Or anything but our messy way. If I should have trusted you and not be too suspicious about your dealings, we wouldn't end up this way."

Just as he walks away from no response from her, Lori grabs his hand and says to him, "No Lincoln, it's not your fault. Not our fault. I don't know. I literally don't know what to do. That's all. I just failed to protect you guys. Or even give you guys the trip of our lives. I'm a bad sister." Lori then sobs in front of her brother.

Just like that, Lincoln embraces his sister, massaging her back if he needs to soothe her feelings. "Lori, it's fine. Well, at least we're all safe now."

Lori tries to hold her tears, snorting in the process. She is deeply pleased with how her brother responds to her woes. "Thanks Lincoln. Thank you for literally assuring me that." After blowing her nose a little more, she gets up, ready nearly to lay down their next move. "Okay. I'm good."

Suddenly, they hear banging coming from the goon's wrecked car. They turn to see Lynn banging the car with a rake. "YOU IDIOTS! YOU FREAKED US UP! DARN YOU! DARN YOU ALL TO HECK!"

Lori and Lincoln confront her.

"Lynn, stop it," Lori tries to intervene. "We are all literally stressed out now. You don't have to shout it out loud."

"I! DON'T! CARE!" And in one smash, she breaks the already frail backside windshield.

"Well, just great. That might add to our insurance claim," Lori reacts.

However, Lincoln notices that pieces of broken glass drop to a thick leather surface. He checks out the car, confirming what he thought. "Guys, look at this." Lori and Lynn do so as they spot a black briefcase on the passenger seat.

They then take it out of the car and decide to bring it inside and unlock its contents. With the help of Leni and her hairpin, the brief reveals crucial documents – all involving the syndicate that framed them from the very start.

"Eureka, this is why you must never conceal confidential documents in a Made-in-China briefcase," Lisa remarks.

"Let's check it out, guys," Lori orders her siblings. They each browse the paperwork present in the briefcase. Most of it are scratch papers with mild information about the criminals.

However, Lana spots one particular document. "Lori, look at this." As the latter approaches her, Lana points out, "What is the Dale F. Gosol Recruitment Agency?"

"Seems to be an application form or something," Lori deduces.

"Maybe you're right since this guy is applying for 'Top secret goon' for the DeVito clan?"

"DeVito clan?" half of the sisters gasp.

"Top secret goon?" the other half gasps, leaving the first half to raise eyebrows.

With that name in mind, the sisters use the built-in cellular phone system in the car to research about. Lisa is more familiar of the name, but she has yet to remember it at the tip of her tongue, despite her quick wits.

The search shows, and Lisa exposits to them, "Okay, Joe DeVito, highly successful entrepreneur. Half-Italian, half-Irish heritage. Owns several franchises. And has been in the trading business with China, Germany and Russia. And he owns both a notorious university and a casino."

"So, he's a millionaire mastermind?" Lori asks.

"Billionaire mastermind," Lisa corrects her.

Lincoln then spots particular information, "Check this out, guys. He has opened a charity. And was given the key to the city by de Blasio."

"If that guy was too charitable and super successful, why did he try to kill us?" Lola expresses.

"That's what we're trying to find out, dudette," Luna responds.

"Scroll down, will you?" Lynn requests to Lisa.

As she does so, Lincoln spots particular news that will connect the dots. "Hold on. Go to that link, Lisa." Lisa presses the site, going to a news article about DeVito and several of his associates, Conway and Hill, being accused of money laundering and fixed betting. However, even though the complainants – two students – provided two evidences, the case was dismissed and the media hailed DeVito as a hero.

"That's so bummed out, dude," Luna reacts.

"There must be something on this guy that we need, so we can fix our names," Lincoln says.

"What do we have to do?" Luan asks them.

Lori then lays a no-choice option. "We have to go back."

"Go back? In Manhattan?!" Lynn gasps.

"But you know what happened back there," Leni tells them, "Bad guys thinking we are bad guys. Shooting at us!"

Lincoln then supports his sister's case. "We have to. This guy is making us the #1 criminals in the city. And we can't just get out of here with wanted posters on our tails. We have to fight back! What do you say?"

Upon his words, the sisters are convinced.

"Let's do it, dudes," Luna says, right before they place hands in the center.

* * *

In the power of a montage, Lana fixes up the taxi while the sisters help remove any trace of bullet holes, gunshots and other suspicious tears. It takes a whole morning on the next day for the sisters to refurbish the taxi, much to Aunt [name]'s mild chagrin. After then, the big yellow taxi is as good as new.

Lori then gets a makeover from Luna and Lucy to create a clever disguise for her. They both agree to give her a Lisbeth Salander getup (which strays closely to Claire Foy than Noomi Rapace), which sheds away what makes Lori recognizable.

The Loud sisters are surprised to finally see Lori's makeup transformation. Their jaws drop as they see their eldest sister in emo getup.

"Man, you are really nailing that hair," Lynn side-comments.

"Let's do this," Lori utters.

Luan then suggests, "Since you're more like Lisbeth Salander, can you blend to your character like a chameleon? Hahaha! Get it?"

Though her sisters groan, Lori gets her point faintly. So, she lends a Swedish accent, "Let's do this."

The sisters are cheerful about this.

* * *

With that, Lori sets up the taxi, with a modified phone to use as a GPS. Meanwhile, Lisa and Lana hide inside the right-side front seat to intercept any information from any of DeVito's associate, using Lisa's makeshift radio transmitter.

At once, they head back to Manhattan and park in front of the DeVito office building, in hopes that one of the employees or associates will ask for a ride.

Lori simply gets into character as she waits for a passenger to arrive. The less can be said for Lana and Lisa, who are cramming inside the front seat.

"Will you stop stepping on my eye?" Lana complains.

"Well, you could have gotten an ambient position if you did not enter this seat mechanic first," Lisa counter-argues. "Besides, the radio signal is more receptive up here."

Lori hears their mumbles from inside the seat. "Guys, keep it down. Or we'll blow our cover."

Just on time, an old curmudgeon in the form of a senior executive steps in the taxi.

"Where to?" Lori asks.

"Can you close the windows first?" the old man in his European accent requests.

Lori does so, right before the senior in a suit lends a pile of cash to Lori, making her assume that he will give her a special deed.

"Good. Two locations, driver. This is all private matters. If you expose the confidentiality, I can accuse you." He then whispers the addresses to Lori, who is in deep nervousness about the confidentiality of the matter. " _22 Bleecker and 1000 5th_. You should know them. Go."

However, Lori has a hard time interpreting the addresses. With her fingers trembling, she types to her phone "22". A minute passes by and she tries to decode what the old man says.

"Are we okay, driver?"

"No. Good. Just the phone hangs." Lori then types the words "Blicker", which shows anything but the desired results.

The old man notices Lori's mismanagement, but she takes the phone and hurries it up.

" _Blicker…Blicker…Blicker…_ "

But Lisa comes to the rescue, slightly opening the seat cover, and murmurs to her, " _Bleecker. B. L. E. E. C. K. E. R_."

Lori immediately jots down the correct name and gives directions. Thus after three minutes of delaying, which is almost demotivating for a passenger, Lori sets off.

While driving, she takes a keen eye to the old man as he goes through his files in a hasty moment. Also, he receives a phone call along the way, which Lisa immediately intercepts.

"Picking up something," Lisa confirms.

"What is it?" Lana asks.

After she tunes up the transmitter, Lisa recognizes the caller. "It's DeVito."

The call goes like this: " _Yes Bald Eagle, sir…Mhmmm…On the way to Gosol's…Rest assured the boys are ready to get the prize…Right on time sir…Right on time for the gala, we will get the prize…We even make special arrangements with Copeli…Smooth sailing here, Eagle…See you in the gala._ "

The old man immediately intimidates Lori, "You don't hear anything, driver."

Lori cannot help but gulp in fear. After several turns and jams, Lori brings the old man to 22 Bleecker Street. The location is a commercial building with a restaurant at the front. However, the old man enters through the secret staircase beside it. Lori tries not to look back, but she notices the bouncer resembling a goon they encountered previously. She tries to keep her composure until the last destination.

Finally, after that detour, Lori brings the old man to 1000 5th Avenue: the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A noticeable feature is that the museum is being set up for a special occasion, in honor of DeVito. "What's the occasion?" she asks.

"DeVito being celebrated. None of your business," the old man says as he gets down from the taxi. "Thank you."

Before they leave, Lori notices a tarpaulin signage being carried inside the museum, which she catches: " _The City of New York bestows the Pink Star Diamond to Joe DeVito._ "

Seeing that, Lori smirks. "I think we find our catch. Lisa, research about the Pink Star Diamond."

Lisa then zips out of the seat cover after the backseat is emptied, "What about it?"

"I think I have a plan." With that, Lori drives back, keeping that heist idea in mind.


	15. Chapter 15

After getting rounds of research and appropriate materials for their tiny operation, Lori is able to decipher their ultimate target as a unit.

With that, she lays her plans to her siblings. "Okay guys, this is now or never. We need this night to clear our names and confront those New York gangsters once and for all."

"But Lori, it's just the 11 of us and more of them. How can beat an underground network of Mafioso?" Llaa raises that concern.

"Just a correction, Lola, the Prohibition period has ended las century. Meaning, there are no Italian gangsters in New York at the contemporary age."

"Thank you for the correction, Lola," Lori replies. "The point here is to corner DeVito and for his men to not be the wiser."

From there, Lori explains the details of DeVito's special ceremony in the same suave manner as the mastermind of heist movie (like say Danny Ocean) would exposit. "Okay, 24 hours from now, the Met will be holding a bequeathing ceremony for DeVito, who will receive the Pink Star Diamond. A rare commodity, unearthed in Borneo during a publicized expedition by the National Geographic Society and sponsored by an LLC that operates around Southeast Asia and parts of North and South America, owned by DeVito. I might be suspicious that this bequeathing is for DeVito's benefit. As you know, we saw in an interview that DeVito dedicated his life, his riches and his power to find this diamond. We don't know for sure but we need to expose the sneaky lies from that."

She then switches of the slide projector, showing the map of the Met's vicinity. "Okay, that night, the place will be heavily attended by VIPs. Thus, there will be a whole lot of security tonight. DeVito's ceremony will be at the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas area. And the sneaky DeVito will always have his soiree. So, we need to lure him out of the crowd. Lincoln, are you up for the challenge?"

"Me?" he utters. "Why me?"

"Your hereditary trait of lacking melanin gives you the illusion of a geriatric septuagenarian, who is our main target," Lisa profoundly explains.

"Wait, you don't mean I will…"

Lori then accepts Lincoln's half-hearted participation to the part of the operation taking place in the gala. "That is settled then. Here is the plan: We gain access to the sewers since it is the safest way out of the Met. We food-poison DeVito with the dish that is only served for him: Chocopologie ice cream. When he gets contracted, we knock him unconscious and replace him with Lincoln DeVito. We take DeVito through the sewers and to our safe house shed in Central Park. Meanwhile, we need fake DeVito to be at the ceremony to receive the diamond. After that, we need to feign a terror attack inside the Met. That way, we drive the people off, and for fake DeVito to lead the two other important men in this operation: Robert Conway and Ray Hill. We trap the two to negotiate a deal while 'holding hostage' to DeVito. We then record the confessions and bring them to public. It is that simple."

Upon their big sister's elaborate plan, the sisters agree to her strategy.

"That doesn't sound that hard," Leni says.

"Doesn't sound hard, but it is hard to execute," Lori expounds. "So I need everyone's efforts on this. Luna, you'll pose as tonight's cleaner with a Russian accent. That will scare off the invitees. Luan, you are tonight's waitress. You will be the one to serve the dessert for the night."

"But what if somebody else is assigned to serve his dessert?" Luan asks.

"Then use your greatest asset. Annoy them."

Luan soon catches Lori's idea. "Ohh. Nice."

Lori then continues. "Okay, Lynn, plumber in the men's room. Lucy, waitress. You'll help in planting tiny explosives around the Met. Lana, carry duty. You'll be carrying DeVito's body. Lisa, you are our eyes and ears of the operation. Leni, Lola and Lily, we shall join the soiree."

The three of them cheer in joy for their roles in the heist.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Lola exclaims.

"Good. Now guys, if we must do this, let's do this together to clear our names and to expose what fiends we are dealing with. Hands together."

At that calling, all siblings put their hands in the middle.

"You too, Aunt Rumer," Lincoln invites her.

"I don't know. What's in it for me?" Aunt Rumer asks.

The girls are then left wondering how they could convince their aunt to join their operation. Leni then tells her, "The adventure of a lifetime?"

Their aunt simply chuckles over that rather sarcastic comment. "Well, better than bingo night. I guess." Finally, she is convinced.

With the team finally set for the heist, Lincoln proclaims, "Then, that is settled. We came here to New York, not to meddle with gangsters, but to have fun. And for Lori to fulfill her duties. Now, they ruin every plan we have. But they won't ruin this one. What do you say guys?"

Lori counts, "1…2…3…"

In unity, the girls shout, "HAH!", throwing their arms in unity. With that, Operation Lincoln's Eleven – according to Lincoln himself – begins.

* * *

Cue the preparation scene.

Each of the siblings does his or her role on assembling their equipment and lining up their gear for the next night. Leni prepares the dresses that the girls will wear for the night. Luna takes a mop and practices some martial arts moves. Luan browses through the website about the caterer for the night. Lynn assists Luna in practicing some moves. Lucy creates her own makeshift makeup, using Aunt Rumer's kitchen items and leftover cosmetics. She also crafts a facemask outline, using melted latex from an unused mannequin. Lana recalls some manholes she spotted around Central Park during her visit there. Lola assists Lucy. Lisa invents improvised earpieces as their means of communication and rewires their taxi with computers. Lily simply cheers the rest as Leni gives her a bottle of milk. Lori brainstorms alternative plans, in case things do not go according to what was planned prior. And Lincoln watches video interviews and documentaries about DeVito, trying to capture his persona.

All the while, Aunt Rumer prepares them tamales for supper. She also serves as the provider for equipment and clothing.

With everyone in their place, all is prepared for the next day.

* * *

In the morning, Luna and Lynn spy on a truck dropping off the maintenance near the Gala. Through binoculars, they spot some lady cleaners getting down from the truck and checking in through the authorized zone.

"5 counts to roll to the side of that truck," Lynn tells her.

"Got it," Luna replies.

At Lynn's signal, the two roll down to the side of the truck, waiting for the last lady cleaner to get down from the truck. And when she does, Lynn creates an ambush interview to the lady cleaner, "Hello ma'am, sorry to disturb you. I'm here for the NY-Something Gazette. I am here for a drastic report about something. May I have two minutes with you?"

"Miss, I do not do interviews," the lady cleaner replies with a thick Eastern-European accent.

"That's nice. Now let me start, do you always use conditioner," Lynn asks.

"Conditioner? Are you joking me?" the cleaner, annoyed, replies. "Look, I do not know where you came from or what this interview is for. But I have to go."

Lynn tries to stop her. "Wai…Wait lady, there's a lot insect here. This is just part of a routine research about the defects of something…"

With the distraction out of the way, Luna sneaks under the car to snatch the cleaner's ID just conveniently hanging near her pocket. Slowly but surely, under Lynn's assured direction – even though she has been flubbing about how credible her "research" is about something, Luna easily obtains the ID. After then, she intricately cuts the laminated plastic that covers the ID and removes the lady's picture. She quickly replaces it with hers, using superglue.

The lady cleaner gets fed up on Lynn's total insistence that she shrugs her aside to get inside.

"Suit yourself, lady," Lynn grins before she gives a light laugh at her.

Surely enough, the guard stops the lady cleaner from entering the compound after spotting her with no identification card.

"I swear, I have my ID with me," the lady clear insists.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Strictly, no ID, no entry," the guard tells her. "I have no other choice but to escort you out."

"What?! No! You can't."

Even in her insistence, the lady is powerless over the guard who leads her out of the employee's area calmly.

However, Luna, now in cleaning garb, shows her ID to the guards and enters the compound swimmingly. After passing through some checkpoints, she finally arrives at the men's restroom, found at the hall intersecting the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas gallery and the Modern and Contemporary Art area.

The 15-year-old rocker places an improvised tracking device to the second to the nearest toilet cubicle, below the left side of the bowl. "Okay, got it," she radios Lisa. After doing so, she feigns a toilet clogging by throwing a pile of trash (mostly consisting of toilet paper) to the bowl before she exits the area, waiting for the next signal.

With her signal, Lisa communicates to Lana, who located a hidden manhole in the forested area of Central and is now trudging in the sewers. "Okay Lana, go straight. Fourteenth waterway in your right, go towards it."

"Copy. Just give me a minute. It's hard to walk in the sewers," Lana replies as she steps on a flooded pathway to Lisa's coordinates. Even with an improvised mining helmet on her head, she sees this as a challenge, in the levels of escaping a stinky labyrinth.

Upon arriving, Lana confirms, "Here I am, Lise."

"Affirmative, now turn that direction. Fifth waterway on your left, turn. Then, 3rd pipe."

Giving those coordinates, Lana bravely treks the sewer line to locate the pipe that leads to the men's bathroom in the Met.

While that is going on, Luan, in her caterer's uniform, sneaks from the back of the Met for any sign of the food crew for tonight. Goons start to scatter around the Met perimeter. However, Luan is able to distract with throwing nuts until two goons accuse each other of throwing nuts. She then sneaks from one visible tree after another until she spots a horde of chefs and table servers huddling outside. This gives her a way to easily blend in to the caterers, who are listening to their boss' huddle.

Meanwhile, Lincoln, Lori and Aunt Rumer attempt to locate a hidden bungalow that Rumer keeps bragging about. They search from top to bottom in the forested area, but find nothing.

"Are you sure about a bungalow around here, Aunt Rumer?" Lincoln asks.

"It is around here. I am positive," she replies.

Lori suddenly touches a thick floorboard from a hedge she stumbles upon. "Auntie, you literally mean this?" She then rips out some growing foliage on the floorboard to reveal a covered shed in the middle of the Central Park forest.

"That is it, kids," Aunt Rumer confirms, making Lori and Lincoln's esteem spark once again. They still thought have to refurbish the shed from being long abandoned.

* * *

Hours before sunset, the rest arrive (Leni, Lucy, Lola, Lisa and Lily) via Leni finally nailing driving their taxi and stop paces away from the steps to the Met.

Lola spies the guest through her binoculars. "No sign of DeVito or his cronies. Just some rejects from the US government. Should we get in, in case we might find that DeVito guy in there?"

Suddenly, a goon approaches them, "Excuse me, madams. But you should not be parking here." He then easily recognizes them, "Wait a minute. You're those kids!"

The girls freeze in fear as the goon confronts them with his pistol. Will the team be compromised?


	16. Chapter 16

Spotting Lois in the kitchen, Lena uses this opportunity to get through with the case and confront the rest of the girls at ease. She puts on her plastic gloves, improvises a tranquilizer dart (with a straw, a tissue paper rolled in the form of an arrowhead and the unknown liquid she found in the basement), soaks the tissue with the liquid and shoots at Lois. For about one and a half minutes, it effectively knocks out Lois, confirming Lena's suspicion that the jasmine-scented liquid is in fact chloroform.

Lana immediately catches her, while Lena places a micro-speaker inside her mouth near the uvula, setting the plan. If there is one thing she learned from Eastern pop culture on crime-like situations, she could always cite the _Case Closed_ manga for clever inspiration, or known popularly as _Detective Conan_.

"What do we do to your sister now?" Lana asks.

"Let's set her up," Lena replies.

Both of them then place her body on an office chair with armrests, reshape her facial expression to make her look "serious", cross her legs and ensure that her weight is leaning on the backrest. Now donning in back, the two prepare to slide her back to the rest of the sister and start the interrogation of the case.

* * *

Back at the living room, with the fireplace lit, the couches comfy, the walls cobbled in stone masonry, the decorations bringing life to the cabin's family room and the carpet piled with the unconscious bodies of innocent victims, the girls reside in wariness.

Being the only ones left alive and well, Lori, Luna, Luan, Lisa, Lacy, Lexi and Lulu take frustration to their nerves. Their spine continues to prickle in fear, knowing that the mastermind of this operation might emerge sooner and take them over.

Lexi is at a point of breaking down that she chooses the most desperate option. "I can't take this anymore!"

As she is about to snatch the landline phone, the girls stop her. "NO!"

"Lexi, anything but that!" Lacy pleads.

"What freaking choice do we have?!" she scolds her. "Half of our sisters are dead! Kinda…And the killer might be around watching us! Or even be one of us!"

"Okay, dude, you must chill if you don't want the killer to track us down," Luna says.

"HE HAS TRACKED US DOWN! Thanks to Lacy and Lisa not doing their job!"

"Sheesh, blame the investigators, says the one who is noisy," Lisa remarks.

"That's right! Might as well make noise!"

"Wow, she stole your lines. Hehe," Luan quips her, annoying Luna. "But seriously, what is our next option? Lori?"

When Luan looks at Lori, she is walking around worriedly and tensely, with her mind occupied too much of the mystery happening now. Luan snaps her out. "Huh? What?"

"You're the oldest to us. What's our next move?" Luan asks.

Lori stammers her answer. "Let's just calm down and wait for Lois. Okay? She may have answers."

"Yeah, like she will come serve us the answers," Luna reacts.

That is the perfect cue for Lena and Lana to rotate Lois' chair and show her to the girls, as if she emerge in the darkness as a smart figure like Professor X from the _X-Men_ series. Lena then switches her voice modulator on that mimics Lois' voice. (She would tend to use this radio that the 11-year-old tampered to prank her sisters. Only Loui has knowledge of this.)

" _In fact, I have, girls._ "

The girls gasp at her entrance and her posture.

"Lois, that some entrance," Lori reacts. "What's with the pose and the chair?"

" _It's part of the program to solve this mystery._ "

"So, wait you were able to solve the mystery?" Luna gasps.

" _Not in its full entirety. I may just be able to piece the whole case, bit for bit. Now, let's say we retrace our steps from the very beginning._ "

"Sheesh, I heard this from cartoons. How would it work this time?" Lexi brings up.

" _Because we all might contribute to this mess. Shall we?_ "

Thanks to that plea, Lori is able to recall the first instance that the Lark's secret log cabin was mentioned. "Okay, let's go back in time. How about we literally recall that you bring up about an existence of a log cabin in Colorado?! Hah Lois?!"

" _Want to solve this mystery, rather than rant all night long?_ "

The urgency in her voice wins over Lori that she reluctantly slams her back to the couch.

" _Yes, I did bring up about this cabin. But we all agreed to stay here._ "

"What does that have to do with the case here?" Lacy asks.

" _That the mastermind of this operation is among us._ "

That theory baffles the girls. They bring out lots of denials, calling out Lois' (or Lena's) theory as preposterous and aloof. Lena overhears the commotion, indicating a good sign that the girls are now engaged to the case as she is.

" _Now calm down girls. Let's just get to business._ "

At her persuasion, the girls keep their voices down.

" _Okay, let's recall the first party that I arrived here: Lacy, Lincoln, Lani, Leah, Luna, Lily, Loui, Leni and Lucy. Let's see who the ones left are._ "

Lena acting a Lois then enumerates each of the girls. She has her on each of them, especially that one important sister who has guilt on her hands.

" _Lacy, Luna and Lily._ "

"Lily? Why would you count Lily as a suspect?" Luan asks her.

Lori is about to carry Lily and confront that same case at the same time. "Yeah, don't point this at Lily! She may be a baby but she…" But as Lori has her in her arms, she senses something from her baby sister. "Wait, Lily? Lily?! LILY'S UNCONSCIOUS!"

" _Just as I suspected. Lay her with the rest._ "

"I will just put her on the couch. That's better!"

"Okay."

As Lori lays an unconscious Lily down, "Lois" continues lining up the case. " _The case is getting darker. And there might be substantial ties from you two. What did you do when you got down from the vehicle?_ "

Luna then defends herself "Okay, look dude, I just took care of Lily when we got down from the car. She was in her arms."

Then Lexi accuses her, "She poisoned Lily!"

The argument ensues!

"YOU DID IT! I DIDN'T! YOU DID IT! SHE DIDN'T!"

However, Lori blows her whistle, prompting them to stop. "Look, we are guilty. It's either all of you will shut up. Or I will call our folks from home."

With that, the girls settle them, except for Lexi who teases Luna by nudging her elbow.

" _Okay, Luna's case does not make her a criminal. However, what did you after you settle Lily down?_ "

That question becomes a bombshell as she might not have remembered what she did after taking care of Lily. She just freezes in motion, trying to recall that time but going out stammering. "After…well…uhm…I…"

"Hah! Luna can't answer! Suspect apprehended!" Lexi squeals.

"Can we chain this despicable rodent please?" Lisa reacts.

"Let us not jump to conclusions. They are just assumptions." Lena/Lois then confronts her sister. "Let us just move on to Lacy."

Hearing her name makes Lacy rather nervous. "Me?"

" _What did you do after you got down from the car? Didn't you have the keys to the cabin?_ "

"Yeah, because you gave a spare one to me, in case we got here early!"

" _Are you sure you are not taking this to your own advantage?_ "

This bombardment of questions rather makes Lacy anxious yet manic. "Look, sister, if you are trying to accuse me of a crime, which I would not do, then I will…"

" _You will what?_ "

Lacy then freezes on her spot. Deep inside, she might be hiding under her sleeve. She is the only person who might know it. And concealing it further boils up her guilt and her pressure.

" _It is just us here. And I am just trying to solve the mystery. If you claim you are innocent, then why don't you settle down first?_ "

Just like that, Lacy drops herself to the cozy cushions of the couch.

" _Now, I will leave you two hanging. Let us recall dinner time and our first victim, Lincoln Loud._ "

The way she says it makes the sisters tremble in fear as truth bomb might be dropped. It is almost like lightning strikes over the cabin like they are trapped in a haunted house. The clock strikes at 1:00 AM in the early morning, and the darkness crawls back to them.

" _Lori told Lincoln to call all of you girls for dinner. The last batch he called was Leni, Lynn, Lisa and Lacy. Two were victims. Two were left. Lisa and Lacy._ "

"So are you saying it is either Lacy or Lisa who knocked out Lincoln?" Luan asks, sending shivers down the spine of Lisa and an already nervous Lacy.

" _I might not say no._ "

The two sigh in relief.

" _Here is my theory. It is impossible for Lincoln to drink something spiked with sleeping powder, something you came up, Lisa and Lacy. However, with regard to the pigment on his nape, he might have a short episode of dozing off from a chemical taking effect._ "

Lori deduces, "Wait, you aren't talking about…?"

Lisa then concludes, "Chloroform."

"Wait, shouldn't chloroform knock you out at an instant?" Luna asks.

"Oh dear Luna, you watched too many fictional crime shows and never surmise the chemical components of chloroform," the 4-year-old genius reacts.

"Just give the basics."

"It mostly acts as a reagent for anaesthetic purposes. But it has limited use to medicine."

Lacy adds, "However, given its numbing effect within minutes of time, it can be used to…you know…what happened to Lincoln."

"So are you suggesting that the suspect might have used chloroform?" Luan asks.

" _Not just on Lincoln. But on the other girls as well. You might find a same and familiar scent to each of them._ "

Suspicious of this, Lori, along with Lacy and Luan, checks each of the bodies of their comatose sisters. They each roll their bodies and inspect any scent that enters to their nostrils.

After some tough searching, Lori concludes, "Nothing."

But Luan confirms, "Wait." She then takes a deep inhale on the air, sensing a fragrance. "Smells like mom's window curtain. Or…" She sniffs again. "…Jasmine."

Impatient, Lisa inspects the bodies to the catch the same scent. "Agreed. It is jasmine. However, on the nuchal rigidity…or nape."

" _Just as assumed. Lara and Lola might have been knocked when we left them here. Another person might have caught hand of Lynn and Leah. Leni stumbled upon a trap before she can tell us. Lily succumbed to sleep from a lovely fragrance. Lani was unable to get out under the bed. Lyra sunk to the mastermind's trap, right on our backs. And Lucy might have found shelter in the dark, but had stayed long in the dark."_

Lois' ominous notes brings a sense of dread for the coming hour She ends with this hint of the suspect, " _She might be among us. Or most likely not. But she is likely one of us. I now plead for her to step forward and surrender…_ "

Before Lena playing Lois reveals the true culprit, the nerves run to the bloodstreams of the girls.

" _I ask, please, to tell us…_ "


End file.
